


Well That Just Won't Do - Book 5

by themadmage



Series: WTJWD-verse [13]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: (Heir Potter but that's the tag), Amputation, Anxiety, Asexual Aromantic Severus Snape, Asexual Harry Potter, Bisexual Theo Nott, Book 5: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Canon-Typical Violence, Genderfluid Blaise Zabini, Genderfluid Character, Ghost Lily Evans Potter, Good Regulus Black, Harry Potter is Not a Horcrux, Harry Potter is the Heir to the House of Black, Harry is Lord Potter, Harry just got his family and I won't take anyone TOO close to him away, Heir of Slytherin Harry Potter, Lesbian Hermione Granger, M/M, Metamorphmagus Harry Potter, Other, Pansexual Blaze Zabini, Past Child Abuse, Ravenclaw Hermione Granger, Regulus Black Lives, Seer Luna Lovegood, Severus Snape Has a Heart, Sirius Black Lives, Slytherin Ginny Weasley, Slytherin Harry Potter, Therapy, Trauma Recovery, Umbridge is still absolutely awful and that is a problem, none of the other bad defense professors have gotten their due thus far, okay so this is the first time someone we actually care about dies and i am so sorry but i have to, this is a war and people die in wars BUT, umbridge is going to burn. i have so much rage towards umbridge
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-04
Updated: 2019-10-01
Packaged: 2019-10-04 02:32:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 13
Words: 24,136
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17296061
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/themadmage/pseuds/themadmage
Summary: The ghost of Lily Potter has supported her son through abusive relatives; trials; possessed, impostor, and just plain idiotic teachers; betrayals large and small; relationship questions; and traumas. What can she do now that the thing she dreaded and feared - Voldemort's return - has come to pass?





	1. A Quiet Summer?

After the events of the Triwizard Tournament and the graveyard, Harry had longed for a quiet summer. But since when did he get what he wanted?

Fudge's investigation into Harry's kidnapping was absolute rubbish. No one ever bothered to interview Harry or Lily, Bagman was dead, and Crouch Jr. was still at large. When the investigation was closed saying that Crouch Jr. had put Bagman under the imperius curse to further his own plot with no mention of Voldemort, Sirius resigned from the aurors.

"All that idiot did was write a report that said what he wanted it to," Sirius said angrily when he came home from the Ministry one day at noon.

"That absolute cockroach," Lily growled.

"If that's what the auror department is going to do, then I'm not working for them." He paused. "It's not as if we need the money, and I'd rather be home right now anyway."

 

While Sirius and Lily ranted, Harry picked at his lunch. An article had been published in the paper several days ago vilifying Harry and his family.

It had been a vile article, bringing up Sirius' imprisonment and suggesting he was mentally unsound because of it and claiming that Lily supported her son's lies because she wanted the attention. Sirius had immediately contacted his solicitor and begun a lawsuit, but the damage was done. Harry hadn't said a word since. Even Agim, Harry's Mind Healer, hadn't been able to get him to open up. Agim recommended to Sirius that they invite Harry's friends to stay for awhile - peers were often better company than parents - so Sirius got writing and floo calling and arranged for all of Harry's friends to stay for a week at the end of June.

Blaise almost didn't make it. They wrote the day before they were due to come to say they'd been asked to take care of their sister. Sirius told them to bring her, so long as it was okay with their mother, and to bring along an elf if they needed to. 

 

It was the baby that cracked Harry's silence. Daphne had hugged Harry fiercely, and Luna's constant chatter had made him smile. Theo was behaving blessedly normally, but it was Blaise walking in with a squirming two-year-old in their arms that finally broke Harry's shell.

"Everyone, this is my sister Ayrie. She's just turned two, and I'm watching over her for mother this week."

"You- have a sister?" Harry asked. Lily suppressed a gasp at finally hearing his voice again after nearly a week of being shrugged off. "How did I not know you had a sister?"

"Well, I've only mentioned her a couple of times," Blaise responded somewhat awkwardly. "She was born at the end of our second year, and I'm sure I told you all then but it was right around when Theo was petrified."

Harry dropped his head into his hands. "I'm a terrible friend. I completely forgot that you had a sister."

"You are  _not_ a terrible friend, Harry. Our lives at school have been insane - especially yours - and I haven't talked much about Ayrie because I'm only just getting to know her. I've been away at school for most of her life." He turned to the little girl in his arms. "You're pretty cute, though."

 _At least he's acting like he's alive again,_ Lily thought somewhat wryly. 

Harry stood up from the chair he was sitting in and approached Blaise and Ayrie. "Hi there, Ayrie. Aren't you sweet? My name is Harry."

"Haw."

Harry smiled then. Actually smiled, and everyone who had watched him close himself off breathed a sigh of relief. Ayrie insisted childishly that she be put down, and toddled over to where Mehen was resting by Harry's chair. "Snake," she said clearly as she reached out to pet the boomslang.

"Careful, Ayrie! Gentle with him," Blaise said frantically.

" _Mehen,_ " Harry hissed, " _no biting. This is Ayrie. She's little, and might pet too hard, but we don't want to hurt her."_

 _"No biting,"_ Mehen agreed readily.

"She's fine, Blaise. Mehen won't bite her."

Hermione arrived then, bustling in with a basket. "I'm sorry I'm late, Crookshanks wouldn't come out from under my bed and Professor Lupin had to wait almost ten minutes while I coaxed him out. I had half a mind to leave him behind, but Mum and Dad are going to a dental convention and I hadn't arranged a pet-sitter."

"Sirius, Lily," Remus said, "Does Hermione's cat seem familiar to you?"

Just then, an orange head of fur with a squished flat face poked out of Hermione's basket.

"Angel!" Lily cried, at the same time Sirius asked "Monster?"

The cat bounded out of the basket, heading first to Lily and then to Sirius as he sniffed about. He seemed utterly baffled by Lily's lack of a scent, but rubbed up against Sirius affectionately. "Angel- er- Crookshanks, you said you named him? Is not a monster," Lily replied indignantly.

"Sorry," Hermione cut in, "But what are you talking about?"

"We had a cat, Angel," Lily said, "who went into hiding with us. He was a regular part of the Potter family when Harry was a baby. Sirius always called him Monster, and I'm certain this is him. Where did you find him? I wondered what happened to him after everything."

"At the Magical Menagerie in Diagon Alley," Hermione said carefully. "The owner said he'd been there for ages, and hated most people. He's pretty old."

Crookshanks meandered back to Hermione while Sirius, Remus, and Lily reminisced. "Angel was about ten when I died, so he'd be twenty-four by now. Still, part-kneazles easily live into their thirties and I'm not at all surprised he found his way to a petshop. He never was the sort of cat who'd want to live on the streets."

Remus noticed how nervous Hermione looked, possessively petting her familiar. "We aren't going to take Crookshanks away from you, Hermione. The two of you look very happy. This is just the answer to a question all of us have asked over the years."

Hermione nodded, looking relieved. Harry looked at the cat then, who he'd never met at school since he didn't go into the Ravenclaw common room. "I heard I frightened you pretty badly, once, when I got my first broomstick," he said to the orange ball of fluff. Crookshanks hissed mildly. It didn't seem he'd forgotten.

 

Over the week that Harry's friends came to stay, he gradually came further out of his despondency and spent less time closing in on himself. At his next appointment with Agim, as they'd resumed weekly appointments in the wake of Harry's traumatic experience, the Mind Healer was proud of the progress he'd made. Now that Harry was listening and interacting again, the adults in his life were able to impress on him that they weren't upset with him for the things the  _Prophet_ had printed, and that it wasn't his problem to worry about. 

The adults were also able to focus on another problem they were dealing with now that they were less concerned for Harry - how best to combat Voldemort before he could rise fully to power. There were two main things the Blackwood residents were concerned with. The first was helping Dumbledore to organize the rebirth of the Order of the Phoenix, and the second was ensuring Regulus' safety in a world where Voldemort knew he'd been a spy. 

In the end, they were able to solve one problem with the other. The Order's first need was a new Headquarters that could be placed under the Fidelius charm, and Regulus lived alone in a house located conveniently in London. With Dumbledore as his Secret Keeper, he would be safe so long as he stayed in the house. Being confined to Grimmauld Place wasn't ideal, but it was the best solution and it wouldn't be the first time Regulus kept out of the public eye. Regulus would be able to help the Order by working as a contact point, creating emergency portkeys, and keeping Grimmauld Place ready for a meeting or visitors at any moment. It was less active than his role in the first war, but it was safe.

 

> A/N: Ayrie is pronounced like the word airy. I was struggling with naming Blaise's sister when my best friend pointed out that Blaise sounds like Blaze so I could do another elemental name. Then I almost named her Aerie before remembering that that's a clothing store. Lady Zabini probably wouldn't be familiar with a muggle clothing store, but it would be odd for those of us who are.
> 
> The headcanon that Crookshanks was once the Potters' cat is not mine originally, but I've seen it in enough different places that I can't credit the original because I just don't know. I just love it. It was originally based on details that don't apply to this story - the part-kneazle's immediate hatred of Wormtail and befriending of Padfoot during third year - but I still wanted to include it. 


	2. Grimmauld Place

In July, shortly before Harry's birthday, two dementors found their way to Blackwood Hall while the family was out in the gardens enjoying the summer weather. Sirius immediately repelled them with a patronus, and Remus vowed to begin teaching Harry the charm. 

Sirius and Remus reported the incident to the Aurors, but they were ignored. After that it was decided that it would be best to spend the rest of the summer at Grimmauld Place, under the Fidelius with Regulus. Sirius wasn't happy about the idea, but he'd spent enough time there with Regulus since his release from Azkaban to be able to tolerate their old childhood home. Harry would be safer there than at Blackwood Hall, and Sirius would do anything for the safety of his son.

 

When they arrived at Grimmauld Place, it was immediately obvious that Regulus was suffering. Regulus was sitting at the kitchen table, a mug of cold coffee and the untouched paper in front of him, pale and sweating while clutching his arm to his chest. Sirius put down his bag and rushed to his brother's side.

"Reggie, are you alright?"

It was a stupid question, as Regulus was obviously not alright, but Regulus didn't say that. He didn't respond sarcastically as he tended to do when faced with his older brother. Instead, he looked up from the table with glazed eyes and asked "Sirius, what are you doing here? Is there a meeting?"

"No, Reggie, we're coming to stay. I wrote to you yesterday, you said it was fine?"

"Right. I had Kreacher respond for me. I forgot," Regulus responded before looking back down to the table.

"Reggie, what's happening?" Sirius was insistent.

"It's the Mark."

Sirius pulled Regulus' arm away from his chest and rolled up his sleeve. The Dark Mark was there, writhing on his arm and completely inflamed. "Shit, Reg. How long has it been like this?"

"Er- ah," Regulus hesitated. That alone was a bad sign. Regulus always spoke precisely, never stuttering. "Consistently? Almost two weeks. On and off since he came back. I was using a numbing paste, but it's stopped working."

"Reggie- that's almost two months. Why didn't you tell anyone?"

"Can't be removed," Regulus mumbled. "What could they do? The paste worked before."

"Alright Reggie, we need to get you lying down. I'm going to call Andy, she must be able to do something. You can't go on like this, little brother."

Regulus nodded weakly, and Remus stepped in to help him to the sitting room sofa where he could be more comfortable. Helplessly, Harry and Lily followed. Sirius went to the floo to call Andromeda, and she came through with her Healer's bag minutes later.

"What's the situation?" she asked professionally.

"He's being tortured through the Dark Mark. It's extremely active. He said it's been like this on and off since Voldemort's return, and constantly for almost two weeks. He's delirious, and numbing paste has stopped helping."

Andromeda nodded and began casting diagnostic spells over Regulus' prone form. "He's in near cruciatus levels of pain focused on the Mark, dehydrated, and physically and magically exhausted." She opened her bag and removed several potions, spelling them directly into Regulus' stomach as she spoke to the occupants of the room. "This first potion is a hospital-grade pain potion, it should be more effective than the numbing paste. The second is a nutrient potion, to help replace the fluids he's missing. Kreacher!" The house elf appeared, looking terribly worried. "Get us a glass of water for him, please."

"Kreacher does, Mistress Andromeda." The elf disappeared and reappeared with the water almost immediately. "Kreacher has tried to help Master Regulus, Mistress Andromeda, but Kreacher could not."

"You've done well, Kreacher, thank you."

The pain evident on Regulus' face had eased significantly, and he was regaining a bit of color in his face. Andromeda helped him to take a few sips of the water before setting it down on the table by the sofa. "Andromeda? I should have called you, but it got bad so quickly."

"Next time, call me  _before_ home treatments become ineffective, little cousin. If you have to take any home treatment for more than a week without improvements, you should be seeing a Healer. I know you can't go to Mungo's right now, but I'm always available to you." Regulus nodded, chastised. "We need to discuss what we're going to do from here. The pain potion I gave you is strong, but it's only treating the symptoms and you can't take it regularly without developing a dependence."

"The Mark can't be removed. It's permanent, and there's no way to break the connection to the Dark Lord. I looked for one, after the war ended."

Andromeda closed her eyes, concentrating deeply. "You can't go on like this. You're coherent right now?" Regulus nodded. "The only option I see is to amputate. If the Mark can't be removed from your arm, it needs to be removed from your body. With the amount of Dark magic that's been sunken into your arm through the Mark, I won't be able to re-grow it. You'll be left with one arm, but this pain will stop."

Regulus closed his eyes, then nodded his consent. Andromeda wasted no time in giving orders.

"Sirius, prepare one of the guest rooms for me to operate. I'd prefer to do this in a proper hospital, but that's not possible. If word got out that Regulus was there, the hospital would almost certainly be attacked. The whole room needs to be completely sanitized, get Kreacher to help, and then strip the bed and cast impervious charms on it to prevent blood from soaking into it. Remus, use the floo and tell either Ted or Nymphadora to bring over my full Healer's kit, I've only brought the traveling one with me." The two men nodded, and immediately carried out her instructions. 

"Is there anything I can do?" Harry asked timidly.

"You can cook, right?"

"Yeah."

"Kreacher is busy helping Sirius, can you make some soup? Just something light for him to eat after I'm done." Harry nodded, and walked briskly back to the kitchen while Andromeda began testing Regulus' arm to determine how high up she would have to amputate, her expression grim.

 

"This wasn't what I expected when we came here," Harry said to his mum as he put a pot of water on the stove. "Is Uncle Regulus going to be okay?"

"I'm sure he will be. Andromeda is a talented Healer."

Harry nodded, and began chopping vegetables while the water boiled. "Why is the kitchen human-sized, when the Blacks always had house elves cook? You would think things would be short."

Lily chuckled. "I don't know, baby." Harry grimaced slightly. He would have hidden it under normal circumstances, but he never wore a mask when he was alone with his mum. "What is it?" 

"Don't you think I'm getting a bit old to be called 'baby' by my mum? I'm almost fifteen."

"I guess so," Lily replied with a sigh. "You really are growing up, even though you'll always be my baby. I'll try not to call you that if you don't like it anymore."

Harry stopped chopping. "I love you, Mum. It's just a bit embarrassing."

"I know you do. I love you too. Every parent goes through this, I suppose."

Harry grinned and returned to chopping while his mum brushed her hand against his hair affectionately.

 

The soup was nearly done when Kreacher popped into the kitchen. "Master Regulus is awake, if Master Harry wants to see him. Kreacher can finish the soup."

"Thanks, Kreacher," Harry said as he put down his stirring spoon. "It's almost done. Have you been able to see him?"

"Kreacher has, Master Harry. Master Harry is kind. Masters and Mistress is with Master Regulus in the first bedroom on the second floor."

Harry nodded, and left to go see his uncle. In the bedroom Kreacher had indicated, Regulus was lying on the stripped bed propped up by pillows. Andromeda had already finished cleaning and packing away her Healer's equipment and was telling him what to expect.

"I've had to remove to above the elbow to ensure that all of the tissues affected by the Mark were removed. The wound cannot be fully healed magically any more than I can regrow your arm, so I'll be staying here to tend to you until it's healed. Until then, you'll be taking blood replenishing potions regularly, and I'll be changing these bandages twice a day. You'll also have to take potions to prevent phantom pains in the missing limb for a month. We're lucky - muggles sometimes have pain in amputated limbs for months or years. Luckily, the Mark wasn't on your wand arm so your ability to cast should be unaffected, but you will need to get used to doing other things one-handed. If you need any help, even after I leave, call me or send Kreacher right away."

"Yes, Andromeda. Thank you."

"Are you okay, Uncle Regulus?" Harry asked from the doorway.

"Much better already," Regulus replied with a small smile. 

 

Harry's fifteenth birthday was celebrated with just family, since his friends couldn't all be given the Secret to come to Grimmauld Place. Kreacher made him a wonderful cake and served his favorite foods. The day was spent relaxing, opening gifts, and playing chess to pass the time. Overall it wasn't much different than any other day since they'd come to Grimmauld place, but Harry was grateful for the quiet.

Regulus was adjusting rapidly to having only one arm - he'd always been more reliant on using magic than doing things manually, and there was a spell for almost anything he needed to do. The other residents of Grimmauld Place were only awkward about his loss of a limb occasionally since he'd scolded them all for tiptoeing around the issue.

 

Two days into August, the Order of the Phoenix met in Grimmauld Place. The entire Weasley family accompanied their parents, which Harry found surprising. Surely, with their youngest child being fourteen years old, they could be left alone for a couple of hours?

"Mum has always been overprotective," Ginny replied with a shrug when Harry asked about it, "and the twins get up to enough mischief when they're supervised. They've been inventing a lot this summer. You wouldn't happen to know anything about their sudden lack of a funding issue, would you?"

"I'm sure I couldn't say," Harry said mock-seriously. Then he grinned.

"Mum's not pleased, but they won't say a word about where they got the money. At least it's distracted her from Percy. He got a promotion - Crouch's old job is officially his now - and got into a row with our parents when he took Fudge's side on the whole Voldemort issue. He's moved out now, and Mum's distraught."

The twins were testing one of their latest inventions - extendable ears - by trying to eavesdrop on the Order meeting. Ron, who Harry was still giving a cold shoulder too, was with them. Harry and Ginny gladly stayed in one of the house's sitting rooms and out of that mess. Harry knew his dad would tell him anything interesting after the meeting. Dumbledore had initially tried to forbid sharing Order business with him, but Sirius and Lily wouldn't have him kept in the dark. 

The Order members had all stared at Regulus' arm when they arrived until Snape had snorted and said, "That's one way to deal with it." They'd moved on after that. Things between the two spies were uncomfortable, and Harry did his best not to be in a room with them. Snape and Regulus had been friends in school, but neither had known the other was a spy during the first war and they'd never reconnected afterwards. 

 

"We've set up a twenty-four hour guard on the prophecy where it's kept in the Department of Mysteries," Sirius told Harry that night. "Only the subject of a prophecy can remove it from the shelf, but we don't doubt that Voldemort will try to get it. He only heard half last time, you know."

"Why don't I just go get it, so it doesn't have to be guarded?" Harry asked.

"No," Lily said firmly. "It's too dangerous."

Harry began to protest, but Sirius took Lily's side. "I agree, Pup. Even if Voldemort didn't show up when you went, he could send Death Eaters to kidnap you again."

"But-"

"No," Sirius and Lily said in unison. Harry didn't try to argue again. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Once again, I have gotten my medical information from Google. If you know more than I do and you spot an inaccuracy that isn't magical in nature, please feel free to tell me!


	3. Sanctuary

Narcissa and Draco Malfoy appeared on the doorstep of Grimmauld Place in the middle of August. Harry was surprised and confused to see them there - had the Fidelius charm been broken somehow? Before he could ask any questions, Narcissa spoke.

"Lord Black, I invoke the Rite of Sanctuary."

If Sirius was surprised, he didn't show it. "Allow me to call for a Healer, Cousin Narcissa. You're injured." 

Harry noticed then that Narcissa was holding her right arm awkwardly against her chest and had several fading bruises. Draco looked unharmed, but shaken. "The Rite first, please Cousin."

"Come inside, Cousin Narcissa. I'll gather the family."

Andromeda and her family were summoned by floo, and Regulus joined them in the sitting room after being told via Kreacher. If Narcissa was surprised to see his missing arm, she was too well-bred to show it. 

When everyone was present Harry stood next to his dad like he had two years ago, the last time they had performed Family Rites. Regulus and the Tonks family gathered behind them, and Narcissa knelt in front of them and held out her wand. Draco waited outside, as he was not an acknowledged member of the Black Family. 

Narcissa began the Rite. "Lord Black. I, Narcissa Lyra Malfoy nee Black, present myself before you seeking the Rite of Sanctuary. I invoke this Rite because my husband has put myself and my child at risk by inviting dangerous guests into our home, because he has failed to protect me from injury by these guests on multiple occasions, and because he has neglected his duties to our child in favor of others."

"Your petition for Sanctuary is heard, Narcissa Lyra Black. I, Lord Black, accept your petition. I call on the Family Magic now to shield you and your child from those who would harm you."

The glow of magic came from inside Narcissa, as she was already a member of the Family, and strengthened significantly before fading. Sirius helped her to her feet. "Will you allow Andy to treat your injuries, now?"

Narcissa nodded sedately. "Yes, Lord Black. And if I may ask that she check Draco as well?" The last was directed towards Andromeda, who nodded her agreement. The sisters hadn't spoken in years, but Andromeda would never allow that to get in the way of her duties as a Healer. 

 

While Narcissa and Draco were seen to privately by Andromeda, Harry looked to his dad. "How did they get here? Aren't you worried about the Fidelius charm?"

"No," Sirius responded, "A member of the Black family in good standing can always find this place when they're in need of Sanctuary. It was something we considered when we chose this as our Headquarters, but since it only applied to Narcissa and only in these circumstances, we decided the benefits outweighed the risks."

"Okay. Why did you call her Black instead of Malfoy?"

"By accepting her petition for Sanctuary, I brought Narcissa back into the Black family and disconnected her from Lucius Malfoy. She's legally a Black again, unless she decides she wants to retake the Malfoy name." Harry nodded in understanding. Family Rites hadn't been covered yet in his tutoring with Uncle Regulus. "Now, I need to contact Albus to tell him there are guests at Headquarters, and unfortunately it's also my responsibility to negotiate with Malfoy over the loss of his wife. Do you need anything else from me?"

"No, do what you need to do."

 

Over dinner that night, Sirius addressed Narcissa. "This house, you may have noticed, is currently under the Fidelius charm. The Secret Keeper has given permission for you to stay until you have somewhere safe to go, but you will not be told the Secret. If you need to leave and come back, you'll have to be escorted by someone who knows it. Also, there are meetings held here which you will not be a part of unless you intend to fight against Voldemort and take the same Oaths as the members."

"I'll keep that in mind, Cousin Sirius. Thank you."

"It is no trouble. I've also contacted your husband, but he hasn't replied."

Narcissa nodded uncomfortably. "I don't know that he will. He- he is hosting the Dark Lord in Malfoy Manor. He has been very absorbed by that since his resurrection, and our marriage was never close." 

Draco grimaced from his seat, but didn't respond, and the rest of the meal passed quietly. 

 

Sirius still hadn't received any response from Lucius Malfoy when, a week later, the  _Daily Prophet_ printed that he'd been murdered in his bed. A house elf had found him, and according to the article contacted Lord Nott in the absence of anyone else in the house. He'd been strangled, and no magic had been used either in traveling to and from the Manor or in killing him. The same house elf who found the late Lord had witnessed an unknown woman moving through the manor shortly before, and was reported to be distraught that she hadn't prevented the murder. Aurors were looking for a woman matching the description the house elf gave, but had no leads. 

Harry noticed that Narcissa looked unsurprised by the news. Draco had gone slightly pale. Once they had both had time to process, Narcissa and Draco worked together to close the Manor's wards to anyone outside the family and lock it down. It wasn't safe to return home yet, as the current occupants of the manor wouldn't be ejected, but it was a step towards reclaiming the place from Voldemort. Narcissa then revealed that she planned to live with Lady Zabini after Hogwarts term began, and Harry thought her lack of surprise at her husband's death made sense. 

He wasn't going to say anything, though. He remembered too clearly when Lucius Malfoy had given Ginny Weasley a diary that possessed her and forced her to open the Chamber of Secrets to attack students at the school, and his role in his own kidnapping and Voldemort's resurrection. The world was better off without him. Lily seemed to be making the same connections beside him, and also kept her silence.


	4. Umbridge at Hogwarts

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ugh, I hate Umbridge. If there was a logical way to write her out of the series completely, I'd do it in a heartbeat. 
> 
> The side story "Love", focused on Elvira Zabini and the things she'll do for love, is now complete. If you haven't read it, you should check it out. If you have, make sure you see the last couple chapters I've just posted!

Before leaving for King's Cross, Sirius gave Harry a small package. "I've been trying to track these down since I got out of the hospital," he told Harry. "Finally found them earlier this summer. It's an enchanted mirror, I've got the twin. If you're ever in danger this year, or even just want to talk and an owl is too slow, look in the mirror and say my name. My mirror will light up, and when I say your name we'll be able to talk like over the floo. They're very rare, an old Black family heirloom - your father and I used to use them when we were in separate detentions."

Lily coughed then, something that sounded like "codependent".

"Anyways, with Voldemort back we can't be too careful, kiddo. I'll do my best to keep the mirror at hand at all times, and I want you to do the same. Promise?"

Harry grinned. "I promise, Dad."

 

On the train to school, Harry told his friends the general story of Narcissa and Draco Malfoy showing up at Grimmauld Place. He couldn't  _say_ Grimmauld Place as he told them, nor could he tell them any of the details of the Rite, but they understood enough. "Blaise," he asked at the end, "are your mother and Narcissa Black involved?"

Blaise shrugged. "I think so. They've always been discreet, but I've heard my mother call Draco's mother hers a couple of times over the years and she comes to visit often enough."

Harry nodded. He'd expected that answer. He looked to Theo, then, who looked absolutely exhausted but relieved to be going back to school. Harry didn't have to ask his friend about his summer. With Voldemort back, his father's demeanor wouldn't have improved any. Daphne had to go to the prefects' meeting, then. Malfoy had been chosen as they boys' fifth year prefect. Harry was glad to see that Professor Snape had chosen one prefect from each of his year's factions, even though he was disappointed not to be chosen. He was busy enough, anyway, with nine classes to take OWLs in, sessions with Agim, and studying for his Lordships. He also hoped this would finally be the year he had enough time to start studying the animagus transformation. 

 

At the Welcoming Feast, the Defense professor's usual seat was inhabited by a very smug looking, plump woman dressed all in pink. Harry hated her on sight. Harry also noticed that Hagrid wasn't there. He felt a bit guilty for not going to see the man much in recent years, but he couldn't remember actually being  _invited_ , either. 

The Sorting Hat sang its annual song, speaking of unity between the houses in difficult times. It was definitely different from its usual descriptions of the houses. Harry scoffed a bit. He'd tried house unity - the Hufflepuffs continually united  _against_ him, and his Gryffindor friends had been lost to him when his name came out of the Goblet of Fire the previous year. His Ravenclaw friends had stayed true, and he loved Hermione and Luna fiercely, but for the most part Harry was learning to live by the Slytherin house rule he'd been told his first day in the dungeons - Slytherins stick together. 

Harry clapped for each new Slytherin, and ate happily with his friends. When the feast was over and the headmaster made his usual start-of-term announcements, he introduced the pink-clad woman as Professor Umbridge from the Ministry of Magic. The standard introduction made, he moved to continue on but was interrupted by an irritating little clearing of the throat. 

Umbridge stood up to speak.  _This_ was unusual, and Harry paid attention to her every word. It was important to know what was going on around him.

"Thank you, Headmaster, for those kind words of welcome." A shiver of disgust ran through Harry at her saccharine tone of voice, but he repressed it. "It is lovely to be back at Hogwarts again, and to see such smiling little faces looking back at me!"

"Does she think we're five?" muttered Daphne. Blaise disguised a laugh with a cough, and Theo elbowed them quiet.

"I am very much looking forward to getting to know you all, and I'm sure we'll all be very good friends." A murmur ran through the hall, and Umbridge once again cleared her throat for silence. "The Ministry of Magic has always considered the education of young witches and wizards to be of vital importance. The rare gifts with which you were born may come to nothing if not nurtured and honed by careful instruction. The ancient skills unique to the Wizarding community must be passed down through the generations lest we lose them forever. The treasure trove of magical knowledge amassed by our ancestors must be guarded, replenished, and polished by those who have been called to the noble profession of teaching.

“Every headmaster and headmistress of Hogwarts has brought something new to the weighty task of governing this historic school, and that is as it should be, for without progress there will be stagnation and decay. There again, progress for progress’s sake must be discouraged, for our tried and tested traditions often require no tinkering. A balance, then, between old and new, between permanence and change, between tradition and innovation must be struck. 

"It is my goal this year, as a representative of the Ministry of Magic, to help this illustrious school find that balance. The Minister of Magic is very concerned about some of the rumors that have come out of this school in recent years - rumors of dangerous events unfit for such precious little minds and hands, rumors of unwarranted changes and stagnation where progress is necessary. 

"Many changes will hopefully be made at Hogwarts this year, and other changes reversed, because some changes will be for the better, while others will come, in the fullness of time, to be recognized as errors of judgment. Meanwhile, some old habits will be retained, and rightly so, whereas others, outmoded and outworn, must be abandoned. Let us move forward, then, into a new era of openness, effectiveness, and accountability, intent on preserving what ought to be preserved, perfecting what needs to be perfected, and pruning wherever we find practices that ought to be prohibited.

Umbridge finally sat down, then, to a very lackluster applause that came primarily from Dumbledore. The Headmaster then finished his announcements, and sent the students off to bed. 

"The Ministry is interfering at Hogwarts," Theo said unnecessarily as Daphne went to lead the new first years to the common room. 

"I'm sure it has everything to do with Fudge's campaign against Dumbledore," Harry paused, "and against me, though that bit's been quieter since Dad sued the  _Prophet._ We'll have to be careful around her."

 

Once Harry was ready for bed that night, he took out the mirror his dad had given him. "Sirius Black."

After a moment, he heard his dad's voice say "Harry Potter-Black," and the mirror showed Sirius' face. "What's going on, Pup?"

Harry told Sirius about Umbridge and her speech. "She's Fudge's 'Senior Undersecretary', and a prejudiced bitch. Responsible for at least half of the anti-werewolf legislation that's been put through in recent years. Be on your guard around her, don't aggravate her."

Harry nodded. His dad had only really confirmed what he and his friends already thought, but it was good to know for sure. "Everything else is good here. Hagrid is missing," he added as an afterthought.

"He went on a mission for Dumbledore and the Order this summer, hasn't come back yet. He and Madame Maxime are trying to make peace with the giants before Voldemort gets to them."

"That's a good thought, sending half-giants. It might help. Has he been able to keep in contact?"

"He doesn't contact us often, but he hasn't missed a check-in yet. It's a long process, negotiating with the clans. They have to prove themselves, first and get an audience with the Gurgs, their leaders, and give them gifts to butter them up. I'm sure they're fine."

"Alright then. I should get to sleep. G'night, Dad."

"Night, Son."

When Harry put the mirror down on his bedside table, it immediately went dark. "G'night, Mum."

"Goodnight, Harry."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The beginning and end of Umbridge's speech are copied directly from OoTP, but I filled in the middle where Harry wasn't paying attention in canon myself.


	5. Calm Before the Storm

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've decided outlining is a valid writing practice. Who knew, right? Turns out my elementary school teachers knew what they were talking about. I should know that since I'm studying elementary education. So I've created an outline for this book as well - it's come out to 27 items. I initially had 20 in my outline for last book, and it came to 19 chapters, but that doesn't necessarily mean this one will be 27. Some bullet points may end up being combined into one chapter, or split into two, and some may be deleted or I may decide to include something I hadn't thought of. So this author's note is really pointless, but I've started writing it now and I can't stop rambling. 
> 
> Enjoy!

Once again, leaving the common room meant questions. In Slytherin, no one asked. They knew, because their family had ties to Voldemort, or because their friends' families did, or because they could read the signs well enough between the people who knew more directly. Outside of Slytherin? There were Death Eaters who weren't Slytherins. Harry was more aware of that than most, he thought. Wormtail had been a Gryffindor, and Crouch. Jr. a Ravenclaw. He was sure there were others. But there were certainly  _more_ Death Eaters who came out of Slytherin. Voldemort had been Slytherin's descendant, and proud of it, and Harry knew his house tended to collect the families that were older, more traditional. Darker, too. Slytherin tended to collect the families that Voldemort recruited, so there were more Death Eaters to come out of Slytherin.

So leaving the common room meant questions. "What happened, in June?" they asked, "Is what Dumbledore said true?" Harry's dad had been able to stop the  _Prophet_ writing about him with his lawsuit and Dumbledore had done no such thing, so people thought of Voldemort's return now as Dumbledore's story. Harry told them the truth when they asked, and his mum backed him up, and most of the questioners walked away unsure of what to believe. The  _Prophet_ , their parents, and the Ministry had all told them it was lies. Their Headmaster, the ghost of a war hero, and their classmate told them it was the truth. 

Their classmate was a Slytherin, and someone they'd easily believed the worst of several times. If Harry had been the only one saying it, no one would have even considered believing it. But Lily Potter and Albus Dumbledore were people they'd been raised to trust, and they were saying the same thing.

Most, it seemed, decided it was easier to believe their parents and the institutions their parents believed. Harry told them the truth, and they wrestled with it for a bit before deciding it was too terrible to consider.

Umbridge, too, told them it was a lie. She told them this right after she told them, "Wands away, books out, there will be no need to talk." She told them this after she treated them like children. No one at Hogwarts particularly liked Professor Umbridge, but it was easy to believe her. 

 

The Slytherins' first Defense class with Professor Umbridge was anything but easy. She walked into the classroom exactly on time and said in her grating, girlish voice, "Good afternoon, class!" When only a few people mumbled in reply, she tutted at them. "That won't do! I want you all to reply, nice and clearly, 'Good afternoon, Professor Umbridge.' Try again, Good afternoon, class!"

The reply of "Good afternoon, Professor Umbridge," was not enthusiastic but it was collective and that was enough. 

"Wands away, quills out please."

When Professor Umbridge had them copy down the course aims, it was Pavarti Patil who pointed out that they didn't say anything about practicing spells. Harry had noticed, but he was determined not to speak to this awful woman. His housemates either sided with him, or wanted to stay on her good side.

“ _Using_ defensive spells?” Professor Umbridge repeated with a little laugh. “Why, I can’t imagine any situation arising in my classroom that would require you to use a defensive spell, Miss Patil. You surely aren’t expecting to be attacked during class?”

Harry thought back to being entered in the Triwizard Tournament against his will, to Wormtail's name on the map and dementors on the quidditch pitch, to Theo being petrified, and to sitting through Defense at eleven years old with fierce headaches because his professor was possessed. He couldn't recall being attacked  _in class_ , no, but Hogwarts had never been a benign place. Still, Harry said nothing to the witch at the front of the room. He let his classmates finish arguing with her, and then quietly read the absolute rubbish she'd assigned. 

Outside of Umbridge's class, Harry continued to tell the truth unapologetically to everyone who asked. Several people asked more than once, as if they were checking his story for inconsistencies. That was mostly Ravenclaws. 

It took three weeks for Umbridge to overhear him telling someone, tiredly, again, about Voldemort's rebirth. "Detention, Mr. Potter," she said smugly. Harry knew in that moment that she'd been  _waiting_ for this moment. "One week's, starting tonight at seven p.m."

"Yes, ma'am," Harry sighed. 

 

Still rather put out about getting detention, Harry made his way to the library, where he was due to meet his friends. He told them about Umbridge catching him out in the hallway as he took out his books and parchments to get to work. 

An hour or so into their work, Theo asked a question about the Ancient Runes assignment. He looked up when neither Harry nor Hermione answered, and noticed both of them were distracted - staring into the distance with rather odd expressions on their faces. "Hey," he tried again, "What were you planning on doing with the Futhark runes in the third form?"

Theo looked over his shoulder to see what was distracted his friends, especially Hermione, from both him and their schoolwork and saw a lone Ravenclaw a couple tables over. "Are you staring at Chang?"

"She's got really nice skin, don't you think?" Harry asked.

"Yeah," Hermione agreed in a distant sort of way. "It's so smooth. I don't know if I want to befriend her or  _be_ her."

Theo smirked. "I think you might want to  _date_ her," he said smugly. 

That seemed to get Hermione's attention, as she looked at him with a blush. "What- I'm not- am I?"

"Are you what?" Harry asked distractedly.

"Gay," Theo answered, amused. Lily watched with amusement as well, though her eyes were only for her son. He very clearly had a crush.

"I suppose I could be," Hermione said as her eyes wandered back to Cho. "She's very pretty, isn't she?" Hermione hardly paused, but Harry mumbled an agreement anyway. "I should get a book. We're in the library."

Despite her entirely characteristic desire to research, Hermione made no moves to get up from the table. Theo sighed theatrically. "I know a good one, I'll get it for you."

When Theo returned several minutes later with a small stack of books - he knew Hermione, after all - she still hadn't returned to her work. The various books on sexuality in the wizarding world were enough to draw her attention, however, and Luna joined the group while she was reading. Hermione looked up after devouring sections of three different books. "I don't particularly like the term lesbian, even though I think I'm only attracted to women. It's just- it's a  _noun_ , you know, and all of the other terms are adjectives. So I think I'm gay," she said in rather final terms.

"That was a quick decision," Blaise told her.

Hermione blushed a bit. "It's a working hypothesis. I might change my mind in the future, but for now I know what I want."

"That's a good thing, Hermione," Lily answered reassuringly. "There is absolutely nothing wrong with knowing what you want, or with that changing over time."

"Am I the only straight one here?" Daphne asked suddenly. She looked around the table. Blaise - pansexual, Theo - bi, Harry - ace, Hermione - gay, Luna - "Luna, are you straight?" 

Luna shrugged delicately and answered in her usual dreamy tone. "I don't particularly like to label myself, but I don't think so."

"Huh," Daphne said quietly. It wasn't a put-out sound, or an offended one. Only mildly curious. 

"So what are the two of you going to do about your mutual crush?" Blaise asked Harry and Hermione. "It's not going to start a row between you, is it?"

" _I_ haven't got a crush," Harry denied forcefully. It lost some of its effectiveness, however, as he was still having a hard time keeping his eyes off a certain Ravenclaw. 

Theo snorted. "Yes, you do. You've been staring at her for at least half an hour now. Longer, if I didn't notice right away." Harry glanced down at his barely touched Charms essay, and when he looked back up at Theo there was a smug look on the other boy's face. 

"She's just got really nice skin."

"Didn't you tell me the girl you had a crush on before Hogwarts had pretty eyes?" Daphne asked slyly.

Harry blushed. "Not like it matters, anyways. She's still going out with Diggory."

"We won't let this come between us," Hermione said confidently. "A crush on a girl who's not available? What a silly thing to fight over. If anything, it'll be something else we have in common and bring us closer."

"You were asking about Runes, Theo?" Harry asked, desperately trying to change the subject.

"Oh, so you  _did_ hear me," Theo teased goodnaturedly. After a moment, he re-asked his question, and Harry and Hermione pulled out their own Ancient Runes assignments to compare, and things returned to normal for the group of friends. For a given value of normal, at any rate. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have nothing personally against the term lesbian, despite the views Hermione expresses, nor do I wish any disrespect for lesbians and those who use the term. Hermione's views are an argument I've heard, however, and I think they fit her character well enough. Similarly, Luna's disregard for labels in general is something I've encountered in the real world and not necessarily my own belief but something that I think she would follow based on her character. 
> 
> Labels and lack thereof are a personal choice, and you can use any for yourself that you want to so long as you respect others' choices for themselves. That's my personal belief.


	6. Detention with Dolores

Harry arrived for his seven o'clock detention promptly on time. There were times you could get away with being late - times he knew, as a Slytherin, it could be played to his own benefit. Detention with an unknown professor who he'd been warned away from was not one of those times. Lily followed behind with just a hint of worry. Harry had not had many detentions over the years - despite a brief foray into pranking when he'd discovered Sirius had withheld the truth from him about the Trace, he'd not followed in either of his fathers' footsteps at school. Now he had a weeks' detentions with a woman that even Sirius - the most reckless person she'd ever met - had warned him to watch out for.

Umbridge answered Harry's knock at the door to the Defense office, and he took a seat across from her at her desk. Umbridge looked at Lily. "I do not recall requesting a parent's presence, Mrs. Potter."

Lily looked back, unimpressed. "The seat is more than ten feet from the wall. I can't leave the room," she replied simply. 

Umbridge harrumphed mildly, but didn't try to make Lily leave again. Instead, she turned to Harry. "You'll be writing lines tonight. 'I must not tell lies,' until I believe the message has _sunk_ in."

"There isn't any ink," Harry said, gesturing to the parchment and quill laid out in front of him. 

"You won't be needing any," Umbridge replied smugly. "It's a special quill."

 _Special_ , Harry and Lily both thought, did not bode well. If it were self-inking, Umbridge could have just said so. Still, without other options, Harry picked up the dark black quill and began to write. Before he'd even finished the first line, he hissed in pain. Lily watched, horrified, as the words Harry had written carved themselves into the back of his hand. 

"You can't do this!" Lily shouted at the ministry witch. "This is barbaric - and corporal punishments aren't allowed at Hogwarts."

"That'll be an extra detention, Mr. Potter."

Lily gasped. Harry hadn't said a word, and he was being punished for hers? Harry schooled his face into a mask and continued writing, refusing to react to the pain. Lily fumed silently, fading from view when she noticed Umbridge watching her too closely. The toad of a woman checked the back of Harry's hand several times - every half hour or so - before deciding he'd had enough for the night and letting him go shortly before ten. 

Lily faded into view the moment they were in the hallway. "That  _vile_ woman," she hissed under her breath. "Abuse of authority, plain and simple."

"Should I go see Professor Snape?" Harry asked wearily. Lily softened a bit - her son had been in pain for the better part of three hours now and he didn't need her taking out her misplaced frustration on him. 

"Yes, let's go see him."

 

Professor Snape was still in his office, despite the late hour. He always was when Harry was looking for him, he reflected idly, and wondered if the professor had some sort of proximity ward outside to summon him from his own quarters late at night. 

"What do you need, Mr. Potter?" the professor asked in his usual brisk tone. 

"I've just come from detention with Professor Umbridge, sir," Harry replied. He was careful to use her title, as his head of house always insisted they do so. "Her methods were rather- unusual."

"Unusual how?" Harry only hesitated slightly before showing Professor Snape his injured hand. He hissed in displeasure. "What did she use?"

"A quill, sir. My blood was the ink. She's had me writing with it for nearly three hours."

Professor Snape stood up from behind his desk then, and paced the length of the room several times. "Blood Quills are a Class A restricted item, a Dark artifact, and the use of one for writing lines is abhorrent. Unfortunately, there is nothing I can do. The Headmaster's hands are similarly tied. At a staff meeting, before Umbridge's arrival, we were all informed that Umbridge would have the full backing of the Minister in her actions here at Hogwarts and that any actions we attempt to take against her would only serve to provide a foothold for her to gain more power within the school." Lily opened her mouth angrily, but Professor Snape held up a hand to silence her and she closed it. "I am  _not_ suggesting you take this without complaint, but it will require efforts from those outside the school. You may use the floo to contact Black."

Harry grinned wryly. "No need, sir," he said as he pulled out his mirror. 

"Just how large are your pockets?"

"They're magically expanded, sir. Sirius Black," he added to the mirror. 

After just moments, he heard his dad's voice say "Harry Potter-Black," and the mirror showed his face. "What's up, kiddo? It's not your usual time."

Harry explained his detention to his dad, and the reason the other professors couldn't do anything about it, and showed him the wounds on his hand. Sirius burned with rage, but took several moments to calm himself and calculate their next moves.

"First, you're going to go to Madam Pomfrey after each detention you have with her. Not Snape - not because of any bad blood between us, there needs to be a record of your injuries and the treatment you receive. If anyone else you know gets detention with that woman, tell them to do the same thing and to contact their parents. If they're muggle-born, tell their parents to get in touch with me."

"What are you going to do with the records?"

"If it's Fudge that's letting her do this, we need to go after him first. Fudge cares more about his reputation than anything else, so once we have evidence we're going to put him in the court of public opinion. I'll contact the press - use the Black name to make them listen - and we'll get the word out. It'll take time. We have to gather the proof, contact the papers, get the articles written and approved - but I swear to you, kiddo, they won't get away with this."

Harry's answering grin was sharp-edged. His dad was usually a Gryffindor to the core, but this plan was pure Slytherin. It was something Harry could get behind. Maybe Uncle Regulus had had some impact on his dad. After a couple more reassurances and warnings to be careful, they ended the call. Harry turned back to his head of house. "May I have a note to go to the hospital wing, sir? It's after curfew."

 

Harry returned to the Slytherin common room almost an hour later. Madam Pomfrey hadn't been able to heal the wounds directly with Dark magic involved, which Harry already knew from when his Uncle Regulus had had his arm amputated over the summer, but she'd bandaged them with dittany and essence of murtlap. The murtlap would soothe the pain and prevent infection, and the dittany would help prevent scarring. If he spent too much time writing with the quill it would still scar, and with seven more detentions already scheduled Harry wasn't optimistic, but if the dittany was applied regularly at least it wouldn't stand out so much. 

Harry told his friends about the detention, and about his dad's plan. They were all furious, and had a hundred questions, but Harry was exhausted and escaped to bed as quickly as possible. As he brushed his teeth, he noticed how angry his mum still looked. "It's okay, Mum. Dad is handling it," he told her. "And Madam Pomfrey did well, it doesn't even hurt anymore."

"She gave you an extra detention because of  _me_ ," Lily told him. "She will pay for hurting you - she'll pay twice for using you to silence me."

Harry smiled. He could count on his mum's righteous fury and protective instincts to remind him he was loved. "Goodnight, mum."


	7. News and New Ideas

Harry survived his eight days of detentions with Umbridge, and went straight to the hospital wing after each one. He'd filled Hermione and Luna in on the situation the next day, and Hermione was subtly spreading the word in Ravenclaw to be wary of their new professor and to have an official record of anything improper that she did. Initially, Hermione wanted to inform everyone of this injustice immediately - shout it from the rooftops - but Harry reasoned with her that discretion would be important so that no one got hurt unnecessarily.

From Ravenclaw, the news managed to spread to the other houses. Most students have at least one or two friends or close acquaintances in another house. By the time Harry was finished with his week of nightly punishments the whole school was aware, at least tangentially, of the plan.

 

In that first week, two students had approached Harry after their own detentions with their newest professor - Colin Creevey of Gryffindor and Lisa Turpin of Ravenclaw, both muggle-born. Harry had given them more details on the plan, after reminding them to be discreet, and passed on their parents' names to his dad so that Sirius could advocate for them in ways their muggle parents could not. It would take time, but Umbridge would pay for every student she'd wronged.

Lily watched the proceedings with a vengeful smirk. Umbridge's detentions had reminded her too much of the ten years she'd spent helpless in her sister's muggle home, but they were in the Wizarding World now and no one would get away with hurting her son while she had even a speck of influence. Even if all she could do was guide Harry towards the right people with the power to do something about it, she refused to be passive.

 

Harry was with his friends at breakfast two days after the end of his detentions when the owl post arrived as usual. Harry got his copy of the  _Prophet_ , pre-paid by his dad so that he didn't have to remember to bring knuts to breakfast every morning, and unrolled it to the front page before choking on his pumpkin juice. 

**_Ministry Seeks Educational Reform, Dolores Umbridge Appointed First-Ever "High Inquisitor"_ **

Harry scanned the article, feeling sick to his stomach as he read about the powers that came with the newly created position. Umbridge would now have the ability to inspect other teachers and fire them if she felt it necessary. Recalling her willingness to give him detention on his mum's behalf, he wasn't enthusiastic about her judgement skills. On the second page, there was another article of interest. 

_**Trespass at Ministry** _

The article went on to say that Sturgis Podmore, who he knew was a member of the Order, had been arrested while trying to get through a top security door in the lower levels of the Ministry of Magic. After refusing to speak in his own defense, he'd been sentenced to six months in Azkaban. Harry shuddered, remembering what his dad had looked like the first time Harry had seen him years ago. Sure, ten years and six months were quite a bit different, but Azkaban was a terrible place. 

After checking that no one was paying too much attention to him, Harry turned to his mum and asked in the most casual voice he had, "He was there guarding it, wasn't he?"

Lily almost admonished her son for bringing up the prophecy and the Order's mission in the middle of the Great Hall, but noticed no one had picked up on anything from Harry's words. In the end, she only nodded to him.

"And you're _sure_ I can't just go get it? This isn't right."

"No, Harry," Lily said firmly. "Sirius and I agree, it's just not safe."

Harry stood up from the table then, and waved dismissively to his friends when they gave him questioning looks. Alone in the hallway, he hissed "An Order member's in  _prison_ over it, Mum. We could be in and out in ten minutes at the most, and then no one else would have to-"

" _No,_ Harry. I know you don't like it. I don't like that Podmore was arrested, either, but your dad and I care more about you than about him." Harry opened his mouth to reply, but Lily silenced him with a raised hand. "All of the Order members guarding the prophecy are adults. They know the risks and they're doing it anyway, and if that's their choice then the consequences are theirs to live with. You, as grown up as you feel at fifteen, are still a child.  _My_ child. I won't have you put into danger, or drawn into dealing with Voldemort any more than you have to be when there are adults who can take care of things. Do you understand?"

Harry wanted to pout, just a bit, but knew that would only make him seem more childish. Instead, he nodded reluctantly and made his way to Transfiguration.

 

Hermione passed Harry a note in Transfiguration, asking him to talk to her after class.  _ Hermione _ passing notes was odd enough on its own to get him to agree. As soon as McGonagall dismissed them, s he pulled him into an alcove down the corridor from the classroom and looked around furtively for any eavesdroppers. Harry cast a privacy charm 

"We aren't learning  _anything_ in Defense this year, Harry."

"My dad and I are working on getting rid of Umbridge, Hermione, you know that already."

"I do know that, but you also said it would take awhile. This is our  _OWL year_ , not to mention what happened after the tournament last year- this is the  _worst_ time for us to have such an ineffective teacher. And things were just getting better, with Lupin and Tonks!"

Harry leaned back against the wall and scrubbed a hand over his eyes. "You're not wrong, but I don't see why this was so urgent."

"I think you should teach us, Harry. A group of people who want to learn Defense properly."

"Me?"

"Yes. You won the Triwizard Tournament at fourteen, and you made it back from that graveyard alive. You spent all last year getting extra tutoring in dueling from an Auror - you're probably the most qualified person in our year to do it, and I doubt a NEWT student would be willing to tutor us."

"Hermione," Harry said with a sigh, "Umbridge already hates me and is looking to give me detentions over anything she can come up with. I don't want to provoke her."

Hermione smiled sympathetically at him. "I understand, Harry. You don't have to do this if you don't want to. Just- maybe think about it a little longer? And then if you say no, I won't bring it up again."

"Alright. I'll think about it."

Hermione gave Harry a quick hug, and he dismissed his privacy charm before speed-walking down the hallway. Unfortunately, his next class was with the toad herself and his discussion with Hermione had made him late. At Umbridge's triumphant, "Detention, Mr. Potter," Harry decided he was going to do it. He was going to do it discreetly - but he wouldn't take this abuse from his professor lying down, even if she couldn't know about what he was doing about it.

At the end of class, Harry told his mum about his resolution. "Be careful," was all she had to say on the topic. She supported the idea of Harry doing something to stand up to Umbridge while they worked on their media plan, but only if he was safe.

 

Harry found Hermione in the corridors after dinner. "I'll do it," he told her. Hermione's eyes lit up. " _But,_ " he emphasized, "we need to be careful about this. I get final say on anyone who is invited."

Hermione nodded vigorously, and threw her arms around Harry in a hug. 


	8. The Defense Group

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had this chapter almost finished, and then my computer restarted and it didn't save. I feel like the chapters I have to re-write like this are never quite as good, but here's hoping!

The Friday after Harry agreed to Hermione's plan, he and his friends met in the evening in a secluded corner of the library to plan. Once the full group was settled in, the Slytherins cast the best privacy charms they knew. 

"The first thing you all need to know," Harry said once their conversation was secure, "is that a lot of what Dad taught me last year for the Tournament was family magic, and I can't share that with anyone. That's why I had to learn to cast the spells silently." Silent spellcasting had been a struggle to learn - there was a reason Hogwarts didn't expect it until sixth year - but it was necessary in order to keep the Black family's spells a secret and Harry had noticed that mastering the skill had made the rest of his spellwork easier. "For this Defense group most of what we'll be covering will be on the usual fifth year syllabus, with some review of previous years too. And probably some dueling tactics."

Hermione nodded her understanding, though her intense curiosity about the family spells was visible in her eyes. "I still think it's a good idea. You're a really good dueler, and you've always been near the top of our Defense classes."

"Alright. So we need to work out who we're going to invite. It needs to only be people we can trust to keep a secret, because Umbridge isn't going to like something like this."

"Slytherins first?" Blaise asked the group, receiving several nods.

"All of us, obviously," Daphne answered, "And I think we should invite Astoria and Ginny Weasley so Luna isn't the only fourth year."

Harry nodded, slightly surprised that Daphne would have thought of Ginny since she didn't speak to the redhead. "Who does Ginny spend time with?"

"Elizabeth Burke and Anuman Chankul. I don't know either of them well, but from what I've heard they're trustworthy. If Weasley will vouch for them and they're interested, I think we could include them as well."

If Harry had been surprised that Daphne thought about Ginny, he wasn't surprised at all that the blonde was familiar with her friends. Daphne had her sources in every part of the rumor mill at Hogwarts. Theo took out a sheet of parchment and quill and began writing down the names.

"I think we should also invite Draco." Harry said after a moment's hesitation.

" _Malfoy?_ " Hermione asked, her voice thick with incredulity. "The Malfoy who called me a mudblood? The Malfoy whose family  _abused_ Dobby? The Malfoy whose father was in that graveyard? The Malfoy that-"

"Yes, Hermione," Harry cut in. " _That_ Draco Malfoy."

She spluttered. " _Why?_ "

"He's had a lot of wrackspurts this year," Luna said serenely. "More than usual."

Harry smiled at her gratefully, and felt more confident in himself with her support. "That's kind of what I was thinking. He seems really lost this year, and I think joining the group would help him."

"But he's _awful_! I know the two of you have had a truce since you joined the Quidditch team, but it isn't as if he's really become a better  _person_."

Lily cut in, seeing her son's expression turn slightly helpless. "He could be a better person though, Hermione. You know that his mother claimed Sanctuary with the Blacks this summer, right?" Hermione nodded. "Do you know what that means?"

"A bit. Malfoy's mother was a Black before she was married, and she returned to the Blacks so that she could get herself and Malfoy away from her husband. Now they're under the protection of Mr. Black's family."

Lily nodded, slightly amused by Hermione's usual academic response to a question. "That's right. It also means that even if Lucius Malfoy weren't dead, Draco and Narcissa would be away from his influence. Draco has the potential to be better than his father, but only if someone shows him another way. I agree with Harry that joining this group could be good for him."

Hermione harrumphed and crossed her arms. "Fine. But I'm not taking it lying down when he insults me."

Harry smiled. "I'd never expect you to." He glanced over at Theo, who added  _Draco Malfoy_ to the list of names.

"I think that's everyone from Slytherin that we should include," Blaise said after a moment of thought. "Ravenclaws? In addition to Hermione and Luna, of course."

"Cho Chang," Harry and Hermione both said at the same time. Blaise smirked at them both, causing Hermione to blush.

"Be quiet, Blaise."

"I didn't say anything," they responded with a smug look.

"Well- Don't."

"Okay, so we can invite Cho Chang in honor of your shared crush. Anyone else from Ravenclaw?" Theo asked.

"Padma Patil and I study together in the tower sometimes when I'm not with you all, and she expressed some dissatisfaction with Umbridge," Hermione said while making fierce eye contact with a shelf behind Theo's head.

"Anyone else?"

"I don't think so," Hermione said, still avoiding eye contact. "Luna?"

"I'm not friends with anyone else in the tower, Hermione, but Patil has remarkably few nargles."

Daphne nodded. "Should we invite anyone from Gryffindor or Hufflepuff?"

Harry grimaced. "I don't think so. The only person I can think of that might qualify in those houses is Neville, but he and I aren't close and I don't know if he'd be comfortable around Malfoy."

"Alright then," Theo said as he folded up the parchment and moved to tuck it into his bag. "We'll feel out the people we've listed over the next week or so,  _subtly_ , and organize the first meeting then." 

Before Theo could put the list away, Harry gestured for it. "We've still ended up with quite a few people here - thirteen - and an uncomfortable number are unknowns to most of us. I think we should do something to ensure this stays a secret."

"I was actually thinking of having everyone at the first meeting sign a jinxed parchment that would reveal it if anyone told," Hermione said, finally getting past her moment of embarrassment in favor of sharing her ideas.

"That's not bad," Harry said, "but I'd prefer to prevent a betrayal than punish it."

"What about a tongue-tying curse?" Daphne asked.

"Isn't that- you know-  _Dark_?" Hermione asked hesitantly. At a raised eyebrow from everyone but Luna, she remembered who she was sitting with and got herself in check. "Right. So what does the tongue-tying curse do?"

Harry smiled slightly, glad he didn't have to go more in-depth with Hermione on Dark magic again. "Hermione, Daph, you two should work together on setting that up, since Daphne is familiar with the curse and Hermione seems to have a plan for linking it to a parchment." The two girls nodded in understanding. 

"Where are we going to meet to have thirteen people from different houses and years practicing spells in secret?" Blaise asked.

"I believe the house elves may know of a special room that can provide someone with what they need," Luna told the group, as if that were the kind of thing people said every day. With Luna around, it wasn't honestly far off.

"The Room of Requirement!" Lily exclaimed in understanding. Seeing confusion from five of the six teenagers present, she explained. "James and the boys told me about it after Hogwarts, but I've never been there."

"Luna," Blaise asked, "could you speak with the elves and get the details?" 

The blonde nodded absently. 

"That should be everything, then, until we've spoken with the people on the list." Harry said. "I'll take Ginny and her friends, since I'm closest to her out of everyone here, and Theo or Blaise should invite Malfoy since you grew up with him. Hermione, it's probably best if you invite Cho and Patil, unless Luna's reputation in your house has gotten better." Both girls in blue shook their heads a bit, and Harry nodded slightly in support. He wished her house could see how amazing Luna was. Left unsaid was that Daphne would speak to her sister, as the obvious choice. 

The group of six took out some of their assignments to work before returning to their common rooms, in large part to avoid suspicion if they spent the whole afternoon in the library without getting anything done, and fell into their easy camaraderie as they left plotting behind.

 

Upon the group's return to their common room, Harry noticed Ginny sitting on her own in an alcove near the lakeview window. Figuring it was the perfect time to approach her, as he hadn't spoken to the redhead in a few days and wanted to get her opinion on her friends' involvement without them there, he made his way over. As he drew near, however, he noticed her stormy expression.

Harry cast a well-practiced privacy charm. It wouldn't be suspicious - he could see evidence of at least two other similar charms in the room. "What's going on?" he asked Ginny as he sat down.

She looked at him, startled away from watching the lake. Harry frowned. It was unlike Ginny to be so unaware of her surroundings, having grown up with the twins. "I got a letter from Percy today," she responded, growling her brother's name.

Percy, Harry remembered, had had a falling out with the rest of the Weasley family that summer. To his knowledge, the rift hadn't been repaired, and Ginny's tone supported that. Harry just waited quietly for a moment to see if Ginny would elaborate, which she did.

"It was about you, mostly. He was warning me off spending time with you, said he knew you'd helped me out before but that didn't mean I should forget that ' _most Slytherins can't be trusted_ ,' before spending a whole paragraph backpedaling and trying to make it seem like he wasn't implying anything about me."

"That's-"

"Yeah. Worse though is that he sent one to Ron, too, congratulating him on ' _distancing himself from the attention-seeker early_ ' and on making Prefect. Now he's been walking around all puffed out as if he was the one who ended your friendship, or as if praise from Prat Percy means anything after what he did to Mum and Dad when he left."

"I'm sorry your brothers are giving you trouble," Lily said genuinely. 

Ginny shrugged. "It's not as if I'm going to listen to either of them. It's just annoying, I'll be over it soon enough."

"Speaking of not listening to them," Harry said with a grin, "what do you think of doing the opposite and spending even more time with me and my friends?"

Ginny looked at him cautiously. "I'm listening."

"We're starting a Defense group, it was Hermione's idea but I'm leading it. We figure since Umbridge isn't going to teach us anything we may as well do it ourselves until we can get her thrown out. It has to be a secret, though."

A smile crept across Ginny's face. "It's a good idea."

"Are you in? The only thing is we're inviting Malfoy. You don't have to talk to him but don't start anything unless he does, yeah?"

"I can manage that. We share a common room, after all."

"Excellent. What about your friends? Daph said you spend time with Burke and Chankul?"

Ginny nodded, and Harry was glad to see she looked thoughtful. "Liz and Anuman are both really unhappy with Umbridge too. Liz is livid that we aren't getting a proper education, and Anuman hates prejudice. I think they'd be interested."

"And they can be trusted to keep the secret?"

"Definitely," Ginny said confidently.

"Excellent. Will you tell them about it? I've never spoken to them, so it would be odd if I did it."

"Sure thing, Harry."

"Perfect. Once we've got the details worked out, I'll come tell you. It'll be about a week."

 

Saturday morning, Harry had his usual appointment with Agim. His mind healer was very interested in the plan for the Defense group.

"What is the driving force behind the plan?" he asked Harry.

"Well, it was Hermione's idea. She's worried about OWLs mostly, but also about needing Defense more than ever now that Voldemort is back."

"Yes, but what caused you to agree to it? You told me you were hesitant at first, so what changed your mind?"

"I wasn't going to do it at first, but Umbridge gave me detention again and I was angry."

"Tell me more."

"I was late to class because Hermione and I were talking about the idea. Umbridge just looked so- satisfied, so smug, when she gave me the detention, and I knew I was going to be writing with that awful quill again. I wanted to do something about it, even if it was in secret."

Agim looked encouraging. "Yes? Continue."

"I didn't want to be helpless." Harry said after another moment's thought. "I've always been helpless when people have hurt me. The Dursleys, Wormtail, the Tournament... Hermione's plan is a way we can stand up to Umbridge while my dad works on getting rid of her."

"Good, Harry. That's good. So long as your desire to help yourself and others doesn't put you in danger, I think it's a good thing. You're getting older, it makes sense for you to want to take charge of things."

Harry smiled grimly. "If I can avoid it, I never want to feel helpless again."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A reminder that wrackspurts signify confusion or distraction and nargles signify dishonesty or thievery. All of Luna's friends are used to interpreting the creatures/auras/magical mysteries that she sees so they don't pause at this anymore.


	9. First Meeting

Harry and his friends arranged for the first meeting of their new Defense group to take place a week after speaking with the potential members, just as they'd planned. Luna had had no issue with getting the exact location of the Room of Requirement - or the Come and Go room - from the elves, and they'd spread the word to meet in the seventh floor corridor Friday night at eight. 

Harry and Hermione, as the group's founding members, arrived an hour early to set up the room. They walked three times past the tapestry of Barnaby the Barmy, focusing on their goals just as Luna had told them to, and smiled at each other when the door appeared on the wall. 

The Room of Requirement had provided them with a room slightly larger than the DADA classroom, but without any desks. There was a slightly raised dais at what was presumably the front of the room, which Harry would be able to use for demonstrations, and a blackboard behind it. Besides those features, the room was bare. 

"This is plenty of space for practicing," Hermione said, pleased. 

"True," Harry said to her, "but we're going to be practicing stunning spells today and the floor is a bit hard. Maybe we could conjure something?" As soon as Harry made the suggestion, a pile of cushions materialized in the corner. "This room is brilliant," Harry said with feeling. 

"That ought to do for tonight," said Hermione with a glint in her eye, "but we may need extra information to plan for future meetings." A bookshelf appeared in the corner by the blackboard, as Hermione had clearly hoped it would. Upon inspection, all of the books it held were Defense texts -  _Basic Hexes for the Busy and Vexed, Confronting the Faceless, The Essentials of Defense Against the Dark Arts, Jinxes for the Jinxed, Curses and Countercurses_ \- Harry snorted derisively when he noticed a copy of the Slinkhard book that Umbridge had assigned, and it promptly disappeared. 

 

As Harry and Hermione perused the books, the door opened. Harry was tense, wand already in hand as he turned around, but it was only Cho Chang and Padma Patil. He grinned sheepishly at the two Ravenclaws as he put his wand away.

"Hello, girls," said an amused Lily.

Cho smiled. Harry blushed. "Hi. How- er- how are you both?"

"We're doing well," Cho said easily.

"What is this room? Has it always been here?" Patil asked, clearly fascinated. 

"It's always possible to call it," Hermione told her, only a small amount of distraction in her voice, "but it doesn't come until it's called."

Both of the Ravenclaws immediately looked interested. "I'd love to know how it works," Cho said wistfully.

"Oh, me too!" gushed Hermione.

Before the conversation could get much further, the door opened again. No longer surprised, Harry didn't draw his wand on the next batch of arrivals. Theo and Blaise stepped into the room, Luna just behind them. "Daphne is coming with Astoria," Blaise told the room. No sooner than they'd finished saying it the door opened and the two blonde Slytherins stepped inside.

Daphne joined her friends, looking around, while Astoria drifted toward the edge of the room. Harry was abruptly reminded that she had difficulty with crowds because of her natural legilimency, but decided that if Daphne wasn't too concerned for her sister than Astoria must be fine. He smiled and nodded to the girl, who gave him a genuine smile back.

"We're just waiting on Draco, Ginny, and her friends now, right?" Daphne asked after mentally cataloging those present. 

Harry nodded, and the door opened again. "Every time we mention people who aren't here, someone shows up," Harry said with a frown. "The Room isn't...?"

"No," Lily assured him. "It's only a coincidence. The Room can give you any  _thing_ you want, but it doesn't create or influence people."

The latest arrival was Draco Malfoy, who looked around the room with a tight expression before joining Astoria against the wall and saying something quietly to her. Astoria looked up at him tentatively, but relaxed almost immediately when she met his eyes. Harry assumed Malfoy must know occlumency, then, and was glad there was someone in the room besides him who did. Perhaps, he mused, sharing the basic occlumency exercises with the group would be a good thing. Legilimency wasn't a common attack people dealt with but it did exist, and there were other influences that the mind art helped to combat as well. Not to mention, of course, that if the others in the room were able to guard their minds even a bit, Astoria could only be more comfortable.

"Does anyone want to ask the Room for the rest of the group to show up?" Theo asked jokingly after checking the time - five minutes to eight.

The door opened.

"Okay, that's just frightening," Padma Patil said vehemently. Several others nodded in agreement, and then she had to quickly explain the circumstances to the three fourth years who'd just arrived. 

 

After allowing Ginny, Chankul, and Burke a minute to take in the room, Harry and Hermione stepped up together onto the dais. Lily floated off to the side as far as possible, allowing her son to stand on his own.

"Are we ready?" Harry asked as a call to order. The room quieted, and he gave them a small smile of thanks. While Harry didn't show it, behind his mask he was rather nervous about teaching and keeping control of a group of people like this. "Alright, welcome to the first meeting of our new Defense group. We'll get started in a moment, but first there's a couple things to cover. We're hoping," he said as he gestured to himself and Hermione, "to meet about twice a week. We know that we have to work around two teams worth of Quidditch practices, though, and three different Prefects' rounds, so it might not always be at the same time. We'll tell you as soon as we've got a meeting planned, the same way we invited you - discreetly, through people you already talk to."

"That's the second thing," Hermione chimed in. They'd planned to alternate during the introduction, so that people didn't check out if Harry spoke to long. "Discretion. No one can know that we're doing this. Umbridge is terrible enough, as anyone who's had detention with her can tell you, and she won't take well to what we're doing. To that end, I've got a parchment here that everyone needs to sign. This will be our official membership list - so we can ensure that everyone is contacted for every meeting - and it's also your agreement not to tell anyone about our group."

Hermione produced the cursed parchment she and Daphne had prepared, along with a self-inking quill, from the bag slung over her arm and handed it to Theo, who was closest to her. He signed the parchment, and passed it on to Blaise. 

Cho raised a hand, and Hermione nodded to her. "What if someone we know seems like they would want to join? Can we tell them?"

Harry and Hermione exchanged looks, and Harry spoke up. "We've chosen each of you because someone in our planning group knows you well enough that we trust you. If there's someone you want to bring into the group, tell me or one of my close friends here, and we'll consider it and move from there. Does that work?" Cho nodded, looking thoughtful. "Finally, I know I'm not a Prefect or anything, but while we're here working I'm in charge. There is some risk to practicing defensive spells, especially any we introduce that are new to you, and we don't want anyone to be hurt."

The parchment found its way back into Hermione's hands, and she glanced over it. Eleven names were there - everyone but herself and Harry - and she tucked it back into her bag. With Cho's point about inviting a new member, she decided in the moment that it would be best if there was one person in each house present who wasn't affected by the tongue-tying curse. "I think we can start," she said with a smile to Harry, and then stepped off the dais and put her bag in a corner by the bookshelf.

"We're starting with the stunning spell -  _stupefy_ \- it's part of the fifth year curriculum, and its counter. Does anyone know how to cast one or both already?" Around five people, all fifth years, raised their hands. "Good. When we partner up to practice, I want you all to try to partner with someone who is new to the spell." Harry took a breath. "When done properly, this spell can knock a person unconscious. The counter will wake them, and they'll eventually wake up on their own if the counter isn't applied. It can also be used to freeze animated objects. The wand movement is just an upward flick, like this." Harry raised his holly wand and demonstrated. "The counter is  _rennervate_  and there's no wand movement for that one, you just aim at the unconscious person.  _Rennervate_ will also revive a person who has been knocked unconscious another way, as long as they aren't too badly injured. Any questions?"

No one offered any, and Harry nodded.

"Could someone come and help me demonstrate?" After a brief moment, Blaise nodded and stepped up onto the dais. Harry gave them a grateful look before summoning one of the cushions the Room had provided. "Put that behind you, so when you fall it doesn't leave you bruised up. There's plenty of cushions for everyone once we get to practicing."

Once Blaise was ready Harry aimed at them and performed the stunning spell, making sure both the wand movement and incantation were precise. He had enough experience with this spell after practicing with his dad last year that it would have worked regardless, but this was for teaching purposes. The expected red light hit Blaise dead in the chest, and they fell back onto the cushion unconscious. Harry then approached, aimed his wand again, and pronounced the reviving spell. In moments, Blaise blinked awake.

"Is everyone ready to try? Partner up and grab some cushions. There's twelve of you, so everyone should have a partner, and I'll move around and check on your progress."

The group milled around for a bit as everyone settled in. Astoria partnered with Draco, Ginny with Burke, Cho with Patil, Blaise with Luna, Hermione with Daphne, and Theo was left with Chankul. Harry walked around observing, while Lily acted as a second pair of eyes where he couldn't watch everyone at once. Gradually, he corrected peoples' pronunciation, told them to give more force behind the flick, and encouraged those who were doing well. When he came to Hermione, she smiled encouragingly at him.

After nearly thirty minutes everyone had managed to stun their partner at least once, including the fourth years, and Harry was ready to add on. He stepped back onto the dais. "Can I get your attention? Revive your partners if you need to, please." Once everyone was ready, he continued. "You're all getting the stunning spell now, so we're going to start practicing shielding. I'm sure some of you already know how to cast a shield, but even if you're familiar with it you can always benefit from getting faster at shielding.  _Protego_ is the most basic version of the shield charm - we'll go over the variants during another meeting. The wand movement is a left to right flick, like this." He demonstrated twice, making sure everyone saw. "When you cast it properly, you'll be able to see the shield in front of you.  _Protego!_ "

A translucent blue shield appeared in front of Harry, and he held it for a few moments before releasing it. 

"The shield charm lasts as long as you can hold it for, but it can get tiring holding one for a long time. You want to cast the shield once you see that you're being attacked so that you aren't wasting your energy, which is why it's important to be able to do it quickly. A spell with enough power behind it can break through a shield, but some of the variants we'll cover later are stronger and harder to break. Go back to practicing the stunners now, but try to shield when your partner casts the spell at you. Practice the shield spell a couple of times first, so you know you can do it."

Harry stepped down again to make his rounds as the group went back to practicing. When nine o'clock came around, most people were still failing to shield fast enough and were falling unconscious to the stunners, but there had been clear progress. Curfew was approaching, so Harry knew it was time to call the lesson.

"Well done tonight, everyone, really well done." He said from his position on the dais. "We'll let you know when the next meeting has been scheduled."

The group filed out, chatting to each other, in much the same groups they'd arrived in. Harry's close friends, however, stayed behind with him. 

"You did wonderfully, baby," Lily said as she drifted over.

" _Mum_ ," Harry said. "We've been over this."

"You're right, I'm sorry," she said with a sigh. "You'll always be my baby, though."

Harry was sure he was bright red, but he ignored it with a smile and a shake of his head and looked to his friends. "What did you guys think?"

"It was good, really," Theo told him. "I've never managed a new spell that quickly."

"Yeah?"

"Yes, Harry, it was good," Hermione told him, exasperation in her voice. "I knew you could do it, honestly."

"Thanks, guys," Harry said when he saw the others nod. He looked around the room then, wondering if he should clean up the cushions that had been left around, but decided that since the Room could appear in any form they could just call it up clean each time they met.

With that settled, the six friends left the Room of Requirement after Harry checked the Marauders' Map, Hermione and Luna headed to the tower while the Slytherins made their way to the dungeons, ready for bed at the end of a long day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There was the longest delay on this chapter because I couldn't think of a name for the DA. Then I realized that they don't have to name it. I'm a genius.


	10. Educational Decree #24

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a part of my post-grad update-every-WIP extravaganza, but it's later than the others because it took me three days to write it. 
> 
> Also, it occurs to me that I've never dropped my tumblr on this site. I'm on tumblr as themadmage if you wanna talk to me or ask me questions, and I post fic-related stuff occasionally on themadmage-fanfiction. ESPECIALLY consider sending me a message if you've commented a lot on these stories because I already consider you a friend and would be ecstatic to hold a conversation with you.

Harry and Hermione were not the only ones to form a DADA study group, but they did seem to be among the most subtle. Other study groups popped up in plain sight, ranging from actual study of the textbook to sessions similar to Harry's held in the courtyards. Thus, it didn't take long for Umbridge to issue a new Educational Decree.

"All student organizations are hereby disbanded," Blaise read from where the decree had been posted. "Student organizations are defined as regular meetings of four or more students, and must gain permission from the High Inquisitor to reform. Any student in noncompliance will be  _expelled._ " They let out a low whistle, and nudged Harry beside them. "I'm glad I'm not in any student organizations, but won't the Quidditch teams be affected by this?"

"Yeah," Harry said, only looking a bit sour. It wasn't as though he hadn't expected something like this, but it was still absolute rubbish to see it happen. 

"This doesn't-" Lily said, before pausing to reread the decree. "There is no distinction that would prevent a group of friends spending time together from being labelled a student organization and expelled. There are more than four of you, and you meet in the library to study at least once a week."

Harry and Blaise both swore quietly under their breath. Lily gave them a mild look of reproach, made ineffective by the fact that she was behind them, but didn't say anything else. This was a situation worth swearing over. Her son could be expelled for spending time with his friends, and the woman in charge of that decision had a vendetta against him.

"We won't be able to meet up publicly, then," Harry said. "Even just the Slytherins among us - that's four." Harry's scowl turned fiercer. 

"We can study in the Room of Requirement?" Blaise suggested casually. They didn't change their tone at all - to do so would be to admit they were trying to hide something and draw attention.

Harry nodded once. "I'll tell Hermione and Luna about this when I get the chance. I'm closest to them - if it's not all six of us then it's least suspicious if it's me."

 

Harry got his chance to tell Hermione about the issue during Herbology with the Ravenclaws that afternoon. Professor Sprout had set them to caring for fanged geraniums, and the general chatter while the students worked was good cover for a sensitive conversation.

Harry was a bit surprised that Hermione hadn't needed any reassurance about their continuing their Defense group. There was a time when she would have hesitated to break a rule - especially one with such a harsh punishment. Spending the majority of her time with Slytherins, and losing her one Gryffindor friend, had changed her. Not that Harry disliked the changes - Hermione was confident, and intelligent, and didn't let authority restrict her unnecessarily. She was brilliant, really, and Harry considered himself lucky to be her friend.

As he had this thought, Harry made sure to tell her so. Agim had told him once that when he had nice thoughts, he should always try to say them aloud. Everyone could benefit, that way. The brilliant smile Hermione rewarded him with buoyed him up, and he knew that for the rest of the day he'd find it just a bit easier to tolerate the new restrictions Umbridge had placed them under.

Before the end of class, Harry also told Hermione to pass the word through the Ravenclaws that there would be a meeting that night. Her smile changed, growing sharper at the edges as she agreed. 

 

Back in the Slytherin common room, Ginny caught Harry's eye from her seat near the wall and nodded towards the empty chair across from her. Harry mumbled a quick excuse to Theo and moved over to join her, casting a privacy charm the moment he sat down out of habit.

"We  _are_ still doing it, right?" Ginny asked him. On the surface there was bravado, as if Ginny already knew what answer she expected and Harry had better comply, but underneath he could detect some worry.

"Of course we are. Tonight, 8 o'clock. We already knew this would need to be a secret- that's why we were so careful when we set everything up."

Ginny nodded, relaxing slightly. "Good. That's good."

 

Theo went early with Harry and Lily for this second meeting of their defense group, though now that they knew how the room worked they'd decided that fifteen minutes was plenty of setup time. Harry opened the room to the same large space they'd used the last week, and then set about conjuring supplies - cushions, mostly, and some occlumency books. He'd brought up the idea he'd had with Astoria privately, and she'd been incredibly pleased once she was sure he wasn't asking her to test everyone's barriers. Theo was as impressed with the room's functionality as Hermione had been, though he had it conjuring various dueling dummies and equipment instead of a library.

"Can you stop people from controlling the room?" Theo asked. 

"That's a good question," Harry replied with a thoughtful look. He paused for a moment, silently making the request. "Try changing something now." The room didn't change, and Theo nodded in satisfaction. Harry was glad too, truthfully. The people they'd invited were generally taking things seriously, but the room's capabilities could be very distracting if given a chance and the Ravenclaws weren't the only ones who would probably like to test it out.

The others arrived in much the same groups as they had before, Hermione accompanying Luna. If everyone present specifically avoided talking about the absent members before they arrived, no one mentioned it. 

 

"Occlumency," Harry told the gathered members once everyone was settled, "is the art of protecting your mind. It's designed as a counter to Legilimency, which allows the user to enter someone's mind. If the person doesn't know Occlumency, it's possible they may not even notice it happening."

Multiple people looked nervous at that, and Harry noticed Astoria glance around nervously. He hurried to reassure them. "A Legilimens isn't inherently dangerous. It can be misused, like any other branch of magic, but it has applications in mind healing and can be used perfectly innocently. Occlumency also has other benefits. I've been studying it since third year - it helped me to cope with the Dementors that were stationed here that year. My skill with Occlumency was also what helped me to be successful in throwing off the imperius curse when it was cast on us in Defense last year. Strong Occlumency barriers can help you to resist any mind-affecting aura or spell, like compulsions or a Veela's allure. Potions are more difficult to resist, but a very skilled Occlumens can do it. Even if you don't become skilled enough to resist these, Occlumency can help you notice them and a qualified Mind Healer can use Legilimency to help you correct the issue. Outside of Defense, Occlumency also helps with memory and emotional control."

People were looking interested now, instead of afraid, and Harry noted gladly that Astoria had become more relaxed. "It's for all of these reasons that we're going to do a few minutes of basic Occlumency exercises at the beginning of each meeting. In order to become a true Occlumens, you'll need to practice these exercises more frequently on your own. Finding a Legilimens you trust to help you test and build your barriers is also helpful, but I won't be providing that service for you. If you're interested, you will need to look for a proper tutor. Occlumency starts with meditation, so everyone should take a seat and get comfortable. Feel free to take a cushion."

Harry thought for a moment while people got situated. "Some of you have probably studied Occlumency already. I won't ask you to identify yourselves if you don't want to - your mind is a private subject here. If you have, feel free to work on any meditation you need to while I walk the group through the beginning exercises, and thank you in advance for your patience."

Theo smiled at Harry, and he noticed a small nod from Draco. Once everyone was seated comfortably, Harry lowered the light in the room and began softly instructing them on getting into a meditative state and taking stock of their mind. When Harry had learned he'd started with unfocused meditation before this step, but everyone here was both more mature and in a better mental state than he'd been in third year. After ten minutes, most people had clearly lost focus and Harry brought the lights back up. 

 

"We'll be practicing stunning and shielding again this week," Harry told everyone once they'd come fully out of their meditation. "But we'll go over some of the more varied shields so that you can try using them.  _Protego Maxima_ is the next simplest shield - its appearance and use are the same as the  _protego_ shield, but it's stronger and harder to break through. It also takes more magic to sustain it, so it's not a good idea to always default to this stronger shield if you don't need to.  _Protego Orbis_ will create a shield that goes completely around your body in a sphere - it's good if there are spells coming from multiple angles, but it's very difficult to extend it to another person unless they're right on top of you. Finally,  _Protego Integra_ is the best shield for covering a small group of people. It's incredibly draining to sustain it, but allows everyone else protected by it to cast offensively while still being protected."

Harry demonstrated each shield for the group slowly, and again at full speed before asking them to pair up. "Choose a different partner than you worked with last week," he told them when he saw people start to drift towards their closest friends. "Everyone's casting style and speed is a bit different, and if you only practice with one person you'll be completely thrown if you have to face someone who's truly hostile."

Some of the people gathered scowled, and others nodded thoughtfully, but all of them chose a new partner without any real complaints. Like the previous week, Harry moved through the room and offered advice and encouragement, especially in regards to the new shield spells. Ten minutes later, he stood up on his dais and called for attention.

 

"You're all doing great. Next, I want you to add in the disarming charm with the stunners when it's your turn to attack."

"That spell is so basic, though," Elizabeth Burke said with a crinkled nose.

Harry nodded, and she seemed surprised that he didn't try to deny her accusation. "It is a basic spell, but that doesn't make it a bad one. Raise your hand if you can perform wandless magic." Harry waited, and no one raised their hands. He wasn't surprised - wandless magic was incredibly difficult and most adult wizards couldn't do it. Even those who could usually only knew a couple of spells. "What about physical fighting techniques? Martial arts, weapons, anything like that?" Only Padma, Theo, and Ginny raised their hands, and he nodded again.

"So, of the twelve of you only three would be able to keep fighting if you lost your wand. The rest of you might try, if it was important enough to you, but fighting without magic takes just as much practice to do well as spellcasting." Harry paused to let that sink in. "That's normal for the wizarding world - most people you fight will be useless if you take their wand from them. Don't assume that you're safe once you do, but it's never a bad idea to disarm an attacker. Now, we all learned this spell from Lockhart and my Dad had a fit over my technique last year, so I'm going over it with you even though you've all learned it before."

There were a few mutinous mutterings at that, but Harry noted happily that between his demonstration and advice there was more successful disarming happening at the end of the lesson than the beginning. That was all he wanted, really. 


	11. Inspections

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning for a brief mention of self-injury unrelated to depression during the "Dumbledore's Army" snippet.

Following the release of Educational Decree #24, Harry was extra careful to be on his best behavior in Umbridge's presence. It wasn't only himself who would suffer if she found fault in him - not only was there the chance that his friends would be targeted, but there was his illegal Defense group, and after a week the Slytherin Quidditch team still had not been given permission to reform.

Being on his best behavior, however, was made more difficult when Umbridge began inspecting the other professors.

 

"She's  _always_ around," Harry complained loudly as he stepped into the Room of Requirement. It was currently configured as a small library - the table his friends were seated around could have been the same one they'd sat at for years, surrounded by well-stocked shelves in a similar manner. Harry suspected Hermione had been the one to call up the Room, given that she usually spent nearly as much time in the library as in her own common room. 

It was nearing the end of the third week of October. He'd kept his mouth firmly closed any time he saw pink, but Umbridge seemed to be selecting the classes she inspected based around his own personal schedule. She'd inspected Arithmancy, Ancient Runes, Herbology, and Charms so far in his presence.

"She can't get to you in her own class, so she's hoping that you'll slip up in another," Astoria said sympathetically. Harry blinked. He hadn't realized that Daphne's sister was joining them that day, but she and Luna were sitting slightly away from the fifth years huddled over the same book. "She thinks about you constantly, and has no mental barriers to speak of. It's like she's shouting about it."

"Ah," Harry said eloquently as he took a seat between Theo and Hermione. At least he wasn't imagining things.

"I honestly hope she keeps to this pattern for Potions and Transfiguration," Blaise said with a wry grin. "Snape or McGonagall would tear her to bits if she went on the way she did in Arithmancy."

Harry allowed himself a smirk. Daphne, across the table from him, looked from Harry to Lily and laughed outright.

"What?" Harry asked, indignant.

"I'm sorry," she said after quickly regaining her composure. "It wasn't even that funny, but I've been irritated lately and I needed the laugh."

Harry looked at her expectantly when Daphne didn't immediately continue.

"It's just- you two made the  _exact same_ face," she said, nearly laughing again.

"Did we?"

Lily ran a hand through Harry's hair - quite literally. "You look just like your father, Harry, but I was the one who raised you. It shows."

"Oh," Harry said. He wasn't sure how to feel about that. Were his facial expressions girly?

Daphne seemed to notice his discomfort. "It isn't a bad thing, Harry," she quickly reassured him. "You're both very charming when you want to be, and can be authoritative or intimidating when necessary too. I'm sorry for laughing, really."

"It's alright," Harry said, finally pulling out his Herbology essay. Daphne would tell him if he looked girly, wouldn't she? She'd definitely notice - noticing everything was Daphne's thing. And they were friends, so she would tell him. Putting it out of his mind, Harry flipped to the section in _One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi_ on the Chinese Chomping Cabbage.

 

 _Blaise got their wish_ , Harry thought as he walked into double Potions on Wednesday morning and found Umbridge already present.  _Here's hoping he leaves her feeling two feet tall._

"You will notice," Snape said after closing his door, "that we have a guest today." His tone reminded Harry of his very first Potions lesson, before his Mum had sorted Snape's attitude towards him out, and he wanted to cheer. "We are continuing with our Strengthening Solutions today. You will find your mixtures as you left them last lesson, and if correctly made they should have matured well over the weekend. Instructions-" He waved his wand, "on the board. Begin."

Harry retrieved his cauldron and carefully set out his ingredients. In order to ensure he didn't make any mistakes while distracted, he laid the ingredients out in the order they'd be added with plenty of space between each before cancelling the stasis spell over his cauldron and adding the salamander blood. 

"Well, this class seems fairly advanced for their level," Umbridge didn't look like she wanted to admit it, but even the less talented students were brewing passably right now. "Though I would question whether it is advisable to teach them this _particular_ potion. I think the Ministry would prefer if that was removed from the syllabus."

"Then the Ministry ought to remove it from the OWL exam," Snape said shortly. "I, unlike  _others_ , will not have my students go into their exams unprepared."

Harry hid a smirk as he chopped the next ingredient. It was obvious which others he meant to anyone who could read Snape's facial expressions, but Umbridge either didn't see or didn't care. "Perhaps we will," she said primly. "Now, how long have you been teaching at Hogwarts?"

"Fourteen years," Snape drawled. His expression was ever so slightly pinched, as it usually was when confronted with the toad. 

"You applied first for the Defense Against the Dark Arts post, I believe?" she asked him sweetly.

"Yes."

"But you were- unsuccessful?"

Harry wanted to throw something at her, as smug as she looked. It was a well-known fact that his Head of House wanted to teach Defense and there was no need for her to harp on it when it was totally irrelevant to his work now. Snape was just as upset - his lip curled in a snarl. "Obviously."

"And you have applied regularly for the Defense Against the Dark Arts post since that time?"

"Yes," Snape replied tightly, "which you are well aware of as applications for Hogwarts posts are on file with the Ministry."

"Do you have any idea why Dumbledore has consistently refused to appoint you?" Umbridge asked as if Snape had not spoken. Harry was fuming. He wanted her to react, so that Snape would have an opportunity to dress her down properly. 

"I suggest you ask  _him_ ," Snape jerked out.

"Oh, I will," Umbridge replied sweetly, before turning and walking away. She inspected several students' cauldrons before taking a position near Harry and hovering there, eyes on him as she waited for him to suddenly break and start ranting about Voldemort. Harry kept quiet, lips tight and occlumency barriers up to restrain his anger. 

 

"Basic Healing spells," Harry said briskly to the twelve students gathered in the Room of Requirement Thursday night, "can save your life or your friend's. The four spells I'm going to teach you today are the ones my dad taught me when I was preparing for the Tournament last year. I reviewed them all before you came, so you can be confident I'm teaching you correctly." He paused for emphasis. "That said, I am not a legally qualified teacher for Healing and learning these spells from me will not give you any sort of certification, so you should only use them on yourselves or close friends unless the situation is truly one of life or death. I'll tell you the same thing Dad said. If you muck them up and make things worse by accident - the law is not on your side as an unqualified citizen attempting the Healing arts."

Harry looked around, and saw that everyone appeared to be taking his warning seriously. " _Episkey_ will heal minor wounds - cuts, scrapes, or very small cracks in bones. It can be applied multiple times in case of a more severe wound, but it will be less effective with each repeated casting.  _Ferula_ is the bandaging charm - it will create a splint and bandage for a broken bone or more severe wound. If the bone isn't at its proper angle, you'll need to set it first. That's the third spell I'll teach you. The fourth and final is the numbing charm, which can help a wounded person to get away without the distraction of pain. It's important to remember that a numbed wound is not healed, and continuing to stress it will almost certainly worsen it. A person relying on a numbing charm needs to focus on getting away from danger and to a proper Healer as quickly as possible."

Each of these four spells were based on point-casting and had no specific wand movement, which was good for battlefield healing. It was fast. The Room of Requirement had provided enough of the medical dummies used in Healer's training for each person to work with, so once Harry had gone over the incantations he set everyone to work.

It was too bad they hadn't known of this Room last year - when Harry had learned these spells his dad had just injured himself and made Harry fix it. Sometimes Harry had wondered if Azkaban had broken the man more than he knew, but his mum had told him that she wouldn't have been surprised by this behavior from Sirius before prison either.

 

"Blaise," Harry said in a mock-warning when they walked into Transfiguration on Friday morning. "This is your fault."

Blaise looked at Umbridge in the corner and shrugged apologetically. Professor McGonagall began the lesson on the hour, making no mention of Umbridge's presence. She set a Ravenclaw by the name of MacDougal to passing back the most recent essay while Parkinson passed around mice. "Today you will continue-"

"Hem, hem." Harry barely resisted sending a glare at Umbridge. He hoped she would choke on that fake cough.

"-your work on the vanishing spell in regards to mice. Those of you who had difficulty in the previous class should focus on the spinal column-"

" _Hem, hem_ ," Umbridge coughed more insistently.

Professor McGonagall snapped her head towards the High Inquisitor. " _Yes?_ " she asked sharply.

"I was just wondering, Professor, whether you received my note regarding the date and time of your inspec-"

"Obviously I received it, or I would have asked after your presence here," McGonagall said curtly before turning back to the class. "Those of you who had difficulty in the previous class should focus on the spinal column, as that is the primary difference between mice and-"

" _Hem, hem,_ " Umbridge coughed again.

"I  _wonder_ ," McGonagall said in a cold fury, "how you expect to gain an idea of my usual teaching methods if you continue to interrupt me? You see, I do not generally permit people to  _talk when I am talking._ "

Umbridge looked stricken with the reprimand, and Harry could have cheered if he didn't know he'd be in detention with the toad for it. 

"As I was saying," McGonagall said to the class, unconcerned with Umbridge's scribbling on her clipboard, "The primary difference between mice and the invertebrates that we worked with previously is the spinal column, and should therefore be the focus for those of you having difficulty with this Vanishment. It will require significant focus, as well." The professor shot a brief glare at Umbridge before returning her usual stern expression on the class. "Now, let's see how you've improved."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Parts of the dialogue between Umbridge and the other professors are taken direct from Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, with influence from the movie since I recently watched it. If you recognize it, it isn't mine.
> 
> Though, if anyone notices the differences in Umbridge's inspection schedule, look back to Astoria for the answer.


	12. Halloween 1995

Halloween fell on a Tuesday.

Harry woke up in the dark mood which often plagued him on the anniversary of his parents' deaths. According to his usual routine, Harry met Blaise in the common room before the other Slytherins were ready to go to breakfast so that the two could go together to the hospital wing for their morning potions. The mediwitch gave Blaise their potion first, before administering Harry his anti-depressant potion and the vapor for his lungs. (He'd stopped carrying a supply of calming draught over the summer, with Agim's approval.)

Once Harry had taken his potions, he heaved a sigh and made to leave before stopping. "Madame Pomfrey?"

"Yes, dear?" 

"Is there any chance you'd be willing to keep me here this morning?" He paused, and then decided on honesty as the best policy when dealing with the Hogwarts Mediwitch. "I have a severe case of Umbridge-itis."

Madame Pomfrey gave him a severe look. "My infirmary is not to be used to skipping classes, young man."

"I know!" Harry held up his hands in a placating gesture. "But- just this once? We've got Defense this morning, and if I have to deal with Umbridge  _today_ of all days, then I refuse to be held accountable for my actions in her presence."

The Mediwitch turned a beseeching look on Lily. "Don't look at me, Poppy," she replied. "If I could muster up the corporeality for it, I'd have shown her the errors of her ways ages ago. I'm sure you recall treating James for a few book-induced injuries that I'd be happy to repeat."

Pomfrey sagged slightly, and Harry knew that he and his mum had won. "I'll consider it preventative care. Whether you consider yourself accountable for your actions or not, you'd almost certainly be here following one of that-  _woman's_ \- detentions if I let you go. Mx. Zabini, if you would take notes to your morning classes from me?"

"Of course, Madame Pomfrey," Blaise agreed easily. "I'll see you at lunch, Harry?"

Harry smiled weakly. "Lunch."

 

After whiling away the morning in the hospital wing with his mum, Harry met back up with his friends in the Great Hall. Daphne gave him a tight hug - something she wouldn't normally do in such a public setting, but which Harry welcomed gladly. At the end of the meal, Hermione nearly knocked Harry over with her own display before joining him and Blaise for the walk to Arithmancy. 

Umbridge blessedly kept her distance during the meal, staying at the head table, and had already inspected both Arithmancy and Herbology. There was absolutely no reason for her to cross Harry's path for the rest of that day.

 

"I'm wondering if I should skip the feast," Harry mumbled. It was the break between the end of classes and dinner, and he was studying in the Room of Requirement with his close friends. He'd already passed on to the larger study group that they wouldn't meet that night, even though Tuesday had become one of the usual days.

"Are you feeling alright, Harry?" Hermione asked worriedly.

Harry shook his head. "No worse than I usually do on Halloween." Hermione didn't look convinced. "No, really Hermione. I'm alright. It's just..." He trailed off, unsure how to express what he felt.

"Bad things tend to happen on Halloween," Daphne finished for him. "And you're often at the center of them."

"Exactly," Harry said. "In first year, a troll. Second year, the Chamber. Third year, Pettigrew being spotted in the castle. And last year my name came out of the bloody goblet. If something is going to go wrong this year, it will almost certainly be because of Umbridge. I've avoided her all day, and if I just tuck myself into the common room and don't leave for the rest of the day then she can't get to me."

Hermione bit her lip. "That makes sense. I just worry about you being isolated today. You've admitted in the past that it's easier to feel okay with friends around."

Harry nodded reluctantly. He couldn't exactly argue with that, but he still didn't want to go to the feast.

"You and I can stay here together," Hermione said after a beat. It wasn't so much an offer as a unilateral decision, but Harry appreciated it. "We can go over the Ancient Runes assignment, or make plans for the next meeting of our study group, or even just sit and do nothing. I won't leave you alone, though."

"Do you want us to stay, too?" Theo offered. 

Harry shook his head. "I know you guys enjoy the Halloween feast. Everyone doesn't have to miss it because I'm in the position I'm in."

Theo hesitated. "You sure?"

"Yeah. Go to the feast and enjoy yourselves. Besides - the more people miss, the more likely it is that the toad will notice and come looking."

With various nods and sounds of agreement, Blaise, Theo, Daphne, and Luna gathered their books into their bags and left.

Harry shifted the Room into a smaller version of the Slytherin common room, with a fireplace and a sofa, and gestured for Hermione to sit with him. She did, and wrapped a comforting arm around his shoulders while they each took out a book to read.

"So I've been watching the Ravenclaw team's practices," Hermione told him casually after about fifteen minutes of comfortable quiet.

"Yeah?" Harry paused. Hermione didn't like Quidditch. "Cho looks good on her broom, doesn't she?"

Hermione nodded unashamedly. "Brooke Chambers, the chaser, flies nicely too."

"I hadn't noticed."

"Well, you've only got eyes for Cho at the moment. I've been- looking around, I guess. It's not as if she's available, and there's no reason I can't notice more than one pretty girl at once. Isobel MacDougal is also quite attractive, in a softer way than the Quidditch girls."

"I guess. I suppose I just tend to- fixate. Is that odd?"

Hermione hesitated. "It's different. Most people's eyes will wander, even if they're committed to someone, and it doesn't mean anything to notice that someone is attractive. But there's nothing wrong with the way you notice girls compared to the way I notice them. Or- people?" She paused. "Harry, do you only like girls?"

"Dunno," Harry said with a shrug. "I've never liked a boy before. Or Blaise, who is the only person I know right now who's neither. But to me, right now, I look at boys the same way I look at any girl other than Cho. There's no reason I couldn't, someday, like a boy I suppose."

"Huh." The two lapsed back into silence. 

 

"Harry," came a hissed voice. Harry blinked his eyes open and saw Hermione, looking insistently at him as though she'd said his name several times. "Harry, we fell asleep."

"Oh," Harry replied intelligently. "How long...?"

"It's past curfew," Hermione moaned. "And Umbridge will be patrolling tonight."

"Alright," Harry said as he climbed to his feet, stretching out several kinks in his muscles as he moved. Sleeping upright on a sofa wasn't ideal. "I've got my invisibility cloak, so I'll walk you up to Ravenclaw before going back to the dungeons. No one has to know we were out."

"Right," Hermione nodded. "Okay. Okay, we'll be fine."

"I did try to wake you up earlier," Lily said guiltily, looking between the two. "But I wasn't willing to give Hermione a heart attack by going through her while she slept, and, well, Harry's been too used to my touch for that to work for years now."

"It'll be fine, Mum," Harry said with a tight smile. "We'll manage."

 

It took a few minutes for Harry and Hermione to gather their things and get themselves situated under the cloak. Harry hadn't shared the invisibility cloak with anyone since he and Theo had gone exploring in their first year, and it was a much tighter fit at fifteen and sixteen than it had been at eleven. Lily faded out of view behind them as they opened the door and carefully stepped into the hallway, walking slowly to keep their steps in time.

All was going well, until one of the staircases up to Ravenclaw tower decided to change while Harry and Hermione were at the top. The rumbling movement of stone on stone jostled them both. Harry, less accustomed to the moving staircases than Hermione given his home in the dungeons and still groggy from sleep, stumbled backwards several steps before letting out a shout as he fell over. Lily and Hermione both cried out in fear as Harry tumbled down the stairs, pulling Lily along with him. The cloak, caught lightly on Harry's book bag, pulled off of Hermione when he stepped backwards and fluttered uselessly away.

Hermione rushed down the stairs to Harry's side, and let out a sigh of relief when she heard him groan as he blinked. He was conscious, at least. "Harry," she whispered loudly. "Harry, are you alright?"

Harry groaned a bit more. "Hit my head, I think," he mumbled as she drew closer. "Caught myself with my arm first, though, and I think my wrist might be broken."

"Are you dizzy?" Lily asked. "Can you walk to the hospital wing?"

"I think I can walk, if Hermione helps me up."

Hermione quickly moved to hoist Harry to his feet. Unfortunately, all of the noise they'd made in the ordeal had drawn unwanted attention. The worst unwanted attention imaginable, given their close proximity to the Defense professor's office and quarters. Umbridge emerged from around a corner wearing a fluffy pink house robe and a superior expression. "What's this?" she asked, her voice falsely sweet even as her eyes narrowed. "Two students out of bed after curfew. A broom cupboard tryst, perhaps?"

"No!" Harry insisted, at the same time Hermione cried out, "I'm gay!"

Umbridge tutted softly as she shook her head in mock disappointment, badly hiding her grin. "I may have let you two off with a loss of points, had you been honest with me. It will have to be detention, then. I so despise liars." Hermione made a small distressed sound, and Harry squeezed her arm with his good one where she still held him to support him on his feet. Umbridge's eyes fell on Harry's cloak where it had landed. "What's this?" she asked as she stooped to pick it up. "I'll be confiscating it. Naughty children should not have invisibility cloaks which allow them to abuse the rules, sneaking off to broom cupboards." She paused to tuck it into the pocket on her house robe as Harry groaned again. "To my office, then, and we'll arrange your detentions."

"Professor," Hermione pleaded quietly. "Harry need to go to the hospital wing. He fell down the stairs."

"He looks quite alright to me, Miss Granger, and it is already past curfew. He can see Madame Pomfrey in the morning if he is still sore."

Lily, who had remained quiet given Umbridge's history of punishing her through Harry, couldn't hold back a small scoff at that. The professor turned a hard look on her, before turning towards her office with the expectation that the students would follow. "It'll be worse if we don't go," Harry mumbled to Hermione, who still looked very determined to drag him immediately to the infirmary. She sighed and nodded, before pulling out her wand and quietly casting the numbing charm that Harry had taught her so recently on his wrist.

"I don't think I should splint it," she explained softly. "Umbridge would wonder where I'd learned the spell."

"'S alright," Harry responded as he urged her after the professor. "Thanks for that, it's much better."

 

Umbridge assigned Harry and Hermione each three detentions - for being out after curfew, 'lying', and 'resisting authority'. Hermione looked horrified, but didn't argue any further. She knew well enough by now that it would only earn them both another night with the toad. Once Umbridge had scheduled the detentions, she instructed them both to return to their dorm rooms. As soon as they'd left the office, Hermione hissed to Harry, "Hospital wing, now."

Harry glanced at the door behind him. "I'm sure I can manage until morning if I splint it," he hedged. "If Umbridge finds out we didn't go straight back-"

"You may have a concussion," Hermione quickly cut him off. "You need to be checked over before you sleep."

Harry looked to his mum, who was nodding alongside Hermione, and nodded his acquiescence. Not that he thought Hermione would take no for an answer in this case, but she was right. He was still a bit dizzy, and his head ached fiercely. Halfway to the hospital wing, he spoke up again. "I'm sorry, Hermione. This will be your first detention with Umbridge, and it's all because I fell."

"Harry," Hermione said with an amused shake of the head. "You didn't fall on purpose. I don't blame you. I'm frustrated about the detentions, but we'll both live through it. I'm far more worried about getting you to Madame Pomfrey."

The two walked along in silence, Lily floating behind them, until they reached the hospital wing. As they stepped inside, Harry sighed. Hermione turned a questioning look on him as Madame Pomfrey bustled into the room, alerted to their presence by a ward on the door.

"I hate Halloween."


	13. Detentions and Quidditch

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm SO sorry about how long this chapter took. I have no excuse, as I've been writing other things. The chapter is pretty long, though, so I hope that makes up for it. :)
> 
> There is some heavier topics towards the end - war related, but no major deaths.

Harry and Hermione both glumly walked to Umbridge's office the evening of November first for their detentions. 

"I'm really sorry, Hermione," Harry told her for the third time that day. 

Hermione gave an annoyed huff. "Honestly, Harry, it was more my fault than yours!"

"What?" Harry asked. Hermione acted as if she didn't hear him, so he stopped walking and grabbed onto her arm. "What do you mean, Hermione? I'm the one who fell and made a load of noise."

"Well, "I didn't mean to admit that," Hermione said, looking a bit sheepish. "We could have stayed in the Room of Requirement all night, and gone back to our dorms before breakfast. The Room could have easily created everything we needed - beds, a restroom, privacy screens..."

"I wish we'd thought of that last night."

Hermione suddenly looked even guiltier. "I did think of it. While you were getting your cloak out, the thought occurred to me. I didn't suggest it because I didn't want to have to rush this morning."

"Well," Harry said, pausing for a moment. "I'm done feeling bad about getting you a detention then."

Behind them, Lily laughed. 

 

Lily wasn't laughing anymore when she was staying silently in the corner while Harry and Hermione were forced to carve  _I must not tell lies_ into their hands, over and over again. Hermione winced and hissed appropriately, but Harry took the pain far too stoically. Knowing why didn't make it better. Umbridge let them leave after three hours of it, all of which she spent tutting about the evils of liars and deviants. 

There was tutting of a different sort when the pair reported to the hospital wing for Madame Pomfrey to heal them and make record of their injuries. "Preventative care" was mentioned more than once as she applied murtlap and dittany to Harry's hand. Once they were released, Hermione split off from Harry and Lily to make her way to the tower.

 

"I can't make practice this week," Harry said to Bletchley. The Slytherin captain looked unimpressed. "Detention with Umbridge."

Bletchley groaned. "What did you get caught doing?"

"I fell asleep outside the common room last night, studying. Umbridge caught me coming back because I fell down the stairs."

He glanced at Lily. "Shouldn't having your mum around, I dunno, keep you from sneaking around in broom cupboards?"

Harry shook his head and walked away, muttering about how everyone assumed that sort of thing and he didn't get it. He didn't try to convince the older boy otherwise, though. Bletchley was an arse, and Harry couldn't wait for him to graduate and pass the captaincy on to someone else. He got to his room and pulled out his mirror, nodding to the other guys in the room as he pulled his curtains shut. "Sirius Black."

"Harry Potter-Black," came the response right away. "I didn't hear from you yesterday, Pup, we were worried."

"Sorry, Dad," Harry said, contrite. He really didn't mean to worry his dad and Remus. "Hermione and I fell asleep in the Room of Requirement and Umbridge caught us coming back after curfew. And on that topic, you'll need to owl Hermione's parents about detentions with Umbridge, since they're muggles."

Sirius sighed. "I'm sorry she got to you on the anniversary."

"Yeah, well," Harry echoed his dad's sigh. "Halloween is cursed. Have there been any updates from the Order? Is Voldemort doing anything?"

Sirius shook his head. "We're still guarding the prophecy. The next big news will be when Hagrid gets back from the giants, unless old Voldie does something first."

Harry nodded, and got to telling Sirius about the latest Arithmancy assignment. Remus got pulled into the conversation, as the Arithmancy buff in the family, and they talked until Harry was yawning with his eyelids drooping. 

 

The next two days passed in the same pattern. Classes, dinner with friends, detention, mirror calling Sirius. Hermione became gradually more frustrated and despondent at each detention, while Harry took each one far too stoically.

Until he was closed up in his bed curtains talking to Sirius and Lily. 

"I don't know if I can handle this much longer," Harry admitted heavily on Friday night. "Sitting there, with her gloating over me, it takes me back to when no one cared about me. To living with the Dursleys." Lily visibly drooped. She had promised herself that Harry would never have to feel that way again, and here they were. Sirius opened his mouth to respond, but Harry held up a hand. "I  _know_ you care, Dad, and Mum cares, and Remus cares. And I've got friends, and Professor Snape is on my side. I know things are different now... intellectually. But when it's been two months and nothing has happened yet, it's easy to feel like nothing is _going_ to happen."

Sirius took a breath. "Okay. Alright, I know I haven't told you much about what we're doing since we made the plan. Maybe I should have, so that you could see what _is_ happening. Would that help?"

"It might," Harry said, shrugging with one shoulder. 

"Alright. I'm working with Andy and Narcissa. You know that we're planning on going to the press, but the issue is that if we release the information more than once, it'll have less of an impact. We run the risk of the public not being angry enough the first time, and then becoming desensitized to further releases on the same topic. So we have to wait to release anything until we have enough evidence that we're sure it won't be ignored. Our goal is to have permission to publish the partial medical records of thirty students. That's about ten percent of the Hogwarts population, and we're  _close_. We have twenty-eight."

Harry's brow furrowed. "I could swear there are more people getting detention from her."

"Oh, there are." Sirius said, a touch of bitterness in his voice. "We've talked to about forty families. Not every parent is willing to allow us to publish their child's partial medical records. It's understandable," Sirius said, his voice clearing. "I'm not crazy about putting yours in the press either, even though they'll all be anonymous. And it's easier for me, since I'll be the one releasing it and have more control over how it's printed. But the twenty-eight we've got permission for come from all three blood statuses, which is good for us. As awful as it is, there will be people who don't care about the muggleborns and halfbloods who are affected. There will probably be a smaller number who don't care about the purebloods, too, since most non-purebloods think that it guarantees a person an easy life."

"That's not even true, though! Your family was awful, and so is Theo's father! And-"

"I know, kiddo," Sirius interrupted, before Harry could get into a full rant. "The stinksap is always smellier coming from someone else's mimbulus mimbletonia."

Harry gaped at Sirius. "Do people actually say that?"

"They absolutely do not," Lily deadpanned behind him. "I introduced him to the muggle phrase, the grass is always greener, and he had to  _embellish_ it."

That made sense. Sirius' unrepentant grin in the mirror made it indisputable. After a few moments, he sobered again. "I'm in talks with your friend Hermione's parents, now. If they agree, that will make twenty-nine people. It's the muggle parents that are the most difficult to get an agreement from, though, and with good reason."

"What do you mean?"

"The Office of Records is in the Ministry," Lily realized aloud.

Sirius nodded. "The magical parents can go to the office and obtain a copy of just the relevant medical records, then forward it to me with their permission to publish. Muggle parents can't go to the office, so they have to sign a form that allows me unfettered access to their child's medical records."

"Wait, so a muggleborn's parents can't find out  _anything_ about their kid's health?"

"Madame Pomfrey sends them a letter if their kid visits the Hogwarts infirmary, but no, they can't obtain the detailed official records."

"That's rubbish!"

"It is," Sirius agreed, "But because Madame Pomfrey provides a stopgap measure, it's not a high priority on the  _long_ list I keep of reforms to make in the Wizengamot." Harry nodded in acceptance, so Sirius continued. "Most of the muggle parents who've agreed have actually done so after I've agreed to retrieve a copy of their kid's records and deliver it to them whenever they want until their kid is an adult or the system allows them to do it themselves, whichever is first. Talks with the Grangers are going better than most, since you and Hermione are friends which means that, even though we haven't properly met before, I'm not a complete unknown. As soon as we hit thirty, I'll work with some reporters to create the articles and we'll get them published. That bit won't take long, but then there will be communicating with other members of the magical community about what the articles say and keeping people talking about it until the government is forced to act."

Harry had relaxed gradually as Sirius explained the next steps of the plan, which Lily was very glad to see. 

"We're hoping for criminal charges to be brought up," Sirius said, his tone telling Harry that he wasn't confident in the outcome. "If we can't manage that, we'll take a vote of no-confidence that removes Fudge from office. The timeline will depend on how long it takes to collect enough information, but I can almost guarantee that we'll see some results before winter holidays. I  _hope_ we'll see them before the end of the month."

"Thanks, Dad," Harry said with a small smile.

"Of course, kiddo. Do you want an extra appointment with Agim?"

Harry shook his head. "There's a quidditch game tomorrow. Bletchley has been a pain about me missing practices for detention, but he won't bench Slytherin's star seeker as long as I keep catching the snitch. And I _am_ feeling better, after you explained."

"I'm glad. I'm sorry I didn't keep you informed earlier; it could have prevented the stress."

Harry waved the hand not holding the mirror dismissively. "You can't think of everything. I could have asked."

 

The next morning, as the quidditch team made their way to the locker room, Harry was surprised to see two familiar faces dressed uncharacteristically in green. "Dad! Remus!" He broke away from the group, giving a hug to each of the men. "What are you doing here? You've never come to one of my games before."

"Figured it was about time, yeah?" Sirius asked lightly. "Supporting Slytherin is hard for me, but supporting you is easy, Pup."

Remus nodded along, and Harry took in the subtext. His family knew he needed additional support with all the trouble from Umbridge, and they were here to provide it. He wanted to stay longer, but Bletchley would have his hide if he delayed and missed the captain's "pep" talk. "Talk after I get the snitch?"

"Of course, Harry," Remus said warmly, with a smile at the confidence Harry showed. It was well-deserved. He'd been to every game in the year he taught, and Harry was a talented player. 

The rush of flying and the accomplishment of catching the snitch had long since been two of Harry's favorite feelings. He quickly learned that day that they were even better with his family there to see him, and was glad that they'd come to the match. From the moment the teams took the pitch, Harry could hear his dad's barking laugh as his high-speed flight jerked his mum about the pitch. 

The Slytherin team was leading by a significant margin. Ron Weasley had apparently made Gryffindor keeper, and it seemed that he couldn't take the pressure. Surely he had to have demonstrated at least  _some_ talent before this to be on the team. Fifty minutes in, he'd only blocked one goal and it had been with his face. 

Harry caught the snitch after an hour and twenty minutes, while the opposing seeker was on the opposite side of the pitch. He wished there had been a proper race for it, so he could show off for Sirius, but maybe now that his dad had finally broken down and put on a green shirt he'd be willing to come more often.

 

Thursday's meeting of the Defense group had been rescheduled to that Saturday evening due to Harry and Hermione's detentions. The group had been progressing well. They'd spent the last few meetings going over spells from the fourth and fifth year curricula, including the human-presence revealing charm, the reductor curse, and the impediment jinx. Harry had learned a few of the fifth year ones for the tournament last year, but many of them required Hermione to help him practice in the days leading up to the meeting. They also continued to start each meeting with occlumency exercises. Astoria had confided to Harry that most of the group seemed to be keeping up with the meditations between meetings, which pleased them both greatly. 

"Today's meeting is going to be a bit different," Harry told the group. "We didn't bother to ask what each of you thought about the truth of Voldemort's return when we formed this group, but the truth is that he's back whether people believe it or not. Mum and I both saw him at the end of the tournament last year, and it wasn't the first time we'd seen him since I was a baby. Those of use who are fifth years - in our first year, he possessed Professor Quirrell. When Quirrell disappeared, it was because Mum and I had discovered him. He played a role in releasing the basilisk from the Chamber of Secrets in the 1992 school year. And when Pettigrew was caught two years ago, he admitted under Veritaserum at his trial that he had recently received orders from 'the Dark Lord' to retrieve an artifact that could restore his power. So he's back, and that means that another war is likely to happen. I can't teach you about war. I was a baby when my mum ended the last one, and I don't remember any of it. Even if I did, my family was living in hiding and I wouldn't have seen anything." Harry took a deep breath. "So, Mum has agreed to teach you all a bit about what the last war was like. Us all. She doesn't talk about the war often, but she and my dad both agreed that this was important."

Without saying anything else Harry stepped off the dais and took a seat among his usual students, towards the front so that his mum would be able to stay in his usual lecturing spot without being at the end of their tether. The room was quiet as everyone either absorbed Harry's words or waited in anticipation to hear _Lily Potter's_ war stories. 

"The first thing I'm going to tell you is probably unnecessary, since you're all either Slytherins and understand pragmatism or you're Ravenclaws and you're smart, but I'm a mother and it's what we do. I'd never forgive myself if I found out that one of you was killed because I neglected to clarify this." Lily paused. "A fight for your life is not a duel. You don't follow the etiquette and rules when someone is trying to kill you, because I promise you that they won't. You fight as dirty as you can, and you get yourself to safety as quickly as possible. Is that understood?"

Each person in the room nodded seriously, and Lily relaxed. "Good. War is messy and chaotic, in more ways than one. The battles themselves are a prime example. Two groups fighting each other rarely works out in dueling pairs. Friendly fire - being hit by an ally's poorly aimed attack -  _happens_ in such chaotic circumstances. Against Death Eaters, the imperius curse was sometimes used to  _make_ it happen. If you find yourself in either situation, you can't let it distract you from the fight. Make sure that the injured party is stable, and continue focusing on making it out alive. If it's the imperius, you'll have to subdue your ally. You can and  _should_ do so without hurting them if at all possible, but a person under that curse cannot be reasoned with and will not be freed until the person who put them under is unable to maintain the curse or they see a mind healer. You cannot allow a person the freedom to attack you simply because they are not acting under their own power."

If the room had been quiet before Lily spoke, it was now silent as the grave.

"Another way in which war is messy is less concrete. War will test a person's boundaries and morals. Every person has a breaking point, where they find themselves doing things they never expected they would. Many people find theirs during war. I, myself, found that point during the last war. During a fight with Death Eaters, I was pushed too far and I successfully cast the killing curse and killed one of them." She paused, whether to steady herself or to allow the message to sink in wasn't entirely clear. Harry remembered hearing this story when his mum had comforted Blaise in their second year. "I spent weeks wrestling with the emotional consequences of a choice made in seconds in the heat of the moment. In the end, I never used that curse or any other Unforgivable again. I decided I didn't feel comfortable with it. I didn't discount the possibility that I would kill an enemy again - if you fight actively in a war, that is a possibility you have to consider - but I felt better knowing I wouldn't use that curse. Other people didn't feel the same. If you find yourself in a position where you have to make a seemingly impossible choice, look to the people you trust and care about for advice, but in the end make the choice you can live with. And if you see a loved one in that kind of situation, keep an open mind for their sake when they reach their conclusion."

Lily continued speaking in this vein for about twenty minutes, pausing numerous times to allow the gathered students to absorb the information or ask questions. "I hate having to expose you to this sort of thing," Lily told them all when she'd finished. "You're all far too young for war. But a war won't care about your age, and I'd much rather you grow up a bit prematurely if it means you survive. Thank you for treating these topics with the gravity they deserve. If you need to talk, I'm available. Though I cannot be detached from my son, so you'll have to welcome Harry to the conversation to some degree." 

Harry whispered his thanks to his mum as he retook the main position on the dais, removing a sheet of parchment from his pocket. "Alright. To try to lighten things up again after such a heavy day, we're going to start a small dueling tournament. The first round will be today, and I've got pairings. These are friendly duels so observe the etiquette - ten paces, bow, and begin - and aim to incapacitate or disarm your opponent without causing any injury you cannot heal here. The goal is to practice choosing spells from your repertoire on the fly, so make sure to mix things up a bit. Ready?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So,
> 
> I've mentioned in the comments, but I'm very bad at coming up with pranks. So I'd really appreciate it if anyone who can think of one that's NOT borrowed from another fanfiction would drop it in the comments. They're for Umbridge, so they can be a bit malicious. The point in the story where I need them is still a bit off, but I want to avoid any long delays in the rest of this story if I can. I will credit anyone who supplies me with a prank in the AN for the chapter where it's used. Thanks in advance!


End file.
